Message #13 From:
Stock News Bot Date: November 28, 2006 05:30:00 AM
IOPM News First Mobetron in China to Be Used in New National Lung Cancer Initiative
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IntraOp Medical Corporation (OTCBB: IOPM), a provider of
innovative technology solutions for the treatment and eradication of
cancer, today announced that Mobetron®
and IOERT will form an integral component in the Chinese Government’s
new initiative to combat lung cancer. Mobetron is a proprietary, mobile
electron-beam instrument designed for Intraoperative Electron Radiation
Therapy (IOERT), the direct application of radiation to a tumor while a
patient is undergoing cancer surgery.
Lung cancer is a major worldwide health problem and, with more than
400,000 cases per year, is by far China’s most
prevalent cancer. If left unchecked, experts estimate that within ten
years, more than half of the world’s lung
cancer cases will occur in China. The current incidence of lung cancer
in the United States is 174,000 cases per year and 163,000 patients die
of this disease in the U.S. For this reason, the Cancer Institute and
Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Peking Union
Medical College (Beijing Tumor Hospital) has been designated by the
Chinese Ministry of Health to become the research and development center
for the treatment of lung cancer in China under the Lung Cancer
Initiative. Other institutions will focus on early diagnosis and
prevention.
Dr. He Jie, Vice-Dean of the Medical Center and Chief of Thoracic
Surgery at the Cancer Institute and Hospital of the Chinese Academy of
Medical Sciences and the Peking Union Medical College was appointed by
the Ministry of Health to lead the treatment and research efforts in
combating lung cancer in China. Beijing Tumor Hospital conducts more
than 1,200 surgeries for lung cancer each year and Dr. He is recognized
as one of the world’s leading thoracic
surgeons and researchers.
“We intend to use Mobetron and IOERT to
provide a precise method of dose escalation for our surgical lung cancer
patients,” said Dr. He. “In
lung cancer, metastatic failure is still the major problem, but we have
made significant advances in the chemotherapy that we can offer
patients. To be successful in this disease, we also need to focus on
improving local control which will, incidentally, also help reduce the
formation of metastases.”
Dr. He continued, “Because the thorax has
many radiation sensitive structures, escalating the dose to achieve
local control of the tumor even through sophisticated radiation
techniques available today, is not easy. IOERT escalates the dose at the
time of surgery when residual tumor cells are most sensitive to
destruction. This is where Mobetron can play a role.”
When detected early, the current treatments for lung cancer can be
effective and the patient’s prognosis is
significantly better than when detected in the later stages of the
disease. For example, patients with Stage I lung cancer have a 60 - 70%
five-year survival, while those with more advanced Stage III disease
have only a 15% five-year survival.
The Lung Cancer Initiative was officially inaugurated on October 20 and
21, 2006, by the Vice-Minister of Health, Dr. Huang Jiefu, himself a
surgeon, at a special symposium. Prominent lung cancer researchers and
practitioners throughout China came together to share their research, to
discuss the status of lung cancer both in China and the rest of the
world, and to suggest promising avenues of research for the treatment of
this disease.
Together with Dr. Wang Liu-Hua, Professor and Deputy Director of
Radiation Oncology at the Cancer institute, protocols using IOERT will
be developed for every stage of lung cancer in which surgery is employed.
“This concerted effort by the Chinese
Government to establish a world-class lung cancer research and treatment
facility can have widespread implications not only for lung cancer
patients in China but for cancer patients throughout the world,”
said Dr. Donald A. Goer, President and CEO of IntraOp Medical
Corporation. “Previous IOERT studies
involving lung cancer have been limited in scope and involved relatively
few patients. Though the published results were encouraging, some
showing two or three times the five-year survival over that achieved
with conventional approaches alone, it was difficult to draw definitive
conclusions concerning the proper role of IOERT in the treatment of this
disease. This initiative will finally give us the answers.”
About Beijing Tumor Hospital
Beijing Tumor Hospital is the teaching, research and treatment hospital
of the Beijing University Medical School, focusing on the prevention,
treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients. With 400 beds, the
institution treats 6,000 patients per year. In addition to a modern
radiotherapy department, the center boasts one of the most advanced
tumor molecular biology laboratories in the world.
About IntraOp
IntraOp Medical Corporation provides innovative technology solutions for
the treatment and eradication of cancer. Founded in 1993, IntraOp is
committed to providing the tools doctors need to administer
intraoperative radiation therapy safely and effectively –
for all cancer patients. The company’s
flagship product, Mobetron, is the first fully portable, self-shielding
intraoperative electron radiation therapy device designed for use in any
operating room. Key Mobetron benefits include: increased survival rates,
better local tumor control, shorter treatment cycles, and fewer side
effects. Leading hospitals, from university research centers to
specialized cancer clinics in North America, Europe and Asia, use
Mobetron as a vital part of their comprehensive cancer program.
For more information on IntraOp Medical Corporation, please visit www.intraopmedical.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of Section 27A of the 1933 Securities Act and Section 21E of
the 1934 Securities Exchange Act. Actual results could differ
materially, as the result of such factors as competition in the markets
for the company's products and services and the ability of the Company
to execute its plans. By making these forward-looking statements, the
Company can give no assurances that transactions described in this press
release will be successfully completed, and undertakes no obligation to
update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this
press release.
