ISR - .91 Way up in pre-market to 1.25 so far.
IsoRay Announces Cornell Medical Center Adopts Cesium-131 to Treat Head and
Neck Cancer
Sep. 28, 2009
Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers
RICHLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 28, 2009--IsoRay, Inc. (Amex: ISR)
announced today that on August 5, 2009, Dr. Bhupesh Parashar from the
Department of Radiation Oncology, Dr. David Kutler of the Department of
Otorhinolaryngology, and Dr. Jason Spector of the Department of Plastic Surgery
at Weill Cornell Medical Center performed the world's first Cesium-131 implant
for a recurrent head and neck cancer (buccal mucosa).
The implant was performed using Vicryl(r)-embedded seeds on a 66-year-old
patient who had received a full course of radiation to the head and neck
several years ago. Cesium-131 was chosen for its short half-life and the higher
dose rate. The patient tolerated the implant procedure well, and has had no
adverse effects that can be attributed to the use of Cs-131 seeds. There is no
evidence of cancer recurrence to date.
Dr. Parashar stated, "We are very pleased to date with this patient's
progress. Having Cs-131 with its combination of short half-life and high energy
gave us another option for treating this patient's recurring buccal mucosa
cancer."
Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori, the Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology
at Weill Cornell Medical Center, and a pioneer in the field of brachytherapy,
performed some of the initial Cesium-131 prostate implants in 2005.
Until now clinical experience with Cesium-131 has been focused on prostate
cancer and ocular melanoma. However, Cesium-131 has been cleared by the FDA for
use in the treatment of malignant disease (e.g., prostate, ocular melanoma,
head and neck, lung, brain, breast, etc.) and may be used in surface,
interstitial, and intracavitary applications for tumors with known
radiosensitivity.
Dwight Babcock, IsoRay's CEO, stated, "This is another example supporting
our strategy to expand the use of Cesium-131 seeds to a larger population of
patients with varying cancers. The use of Cs-131 is a very attractive
alternative to other treatment options, and physicians continue to broaden the
scope of this isotope for use in minimally invasive treatments."
About IsoRay
IsoRay, Inc., through its subsidiary, IsoRay Medical, Inc., is the sole
producer of the Cesium-131 brachytherapy seed.
The Cesium-131 seed offers a significantly shorter radiation half-life than
the two other isotopes commonly used for brachytherapy, which results in a
substantially faster delivery of therapeutic radiation, a theoretically
improved radiation delivery against aggressively replicating cancer(a), and the
potential for a reduced longevity of common brachytherapy side effects(b).
Cesium-131 is currently used in the treatment or prostate cancer(c) and
ocular melanoma(d), among other cancerous conditions.
IsoRay is based in Richland, Washington. More information is available
about IsoRay at www.isoray.com.
(a) Armpilia CI, Dale RG, Coles IP, et al. The Determination of
Radiobiologically Optimized Half-lives for Radionuclides Used in Permanent
Brachytherapy Implants. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology,
and Physics 2003;55(2):378-385.
(b) DeFoe SG, Beriwal S, Smith R, Benoit R. Is there decreased duration of
acute urinary and bowel symptoms after prostate brachytherapy with cesium 131
isotope? International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics
2008;72(S1):S317.
(c) Bice WS, Prestidge BR, Kurtzman SM, Beriwal S, Moran BJ, Patel RR,
Rivard, MJ. Recommendations for permanent prostate brachytherapy with (131)Cs:
a consensus report from the cesium advisory group. Brachytherapy
2008;7(4):290-6.
(d) Melhus CS, Rivard MJ. COMS eye plaque brachytherapy dosimetry
simulations for 103Pd, 125I, and 131Cs. Medical Physics 2008;35(7):3364-71.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this news release about IsoRay's future expectations,
including: the advantages of our Proxcelan Cesium-131 seed, whether IsoRay will
be able to expand its base beyond prostate cancer, whether IsoRay's Cesium-131
seed will be used to treat additional cancers and malignant disease, whether
the use of Cesium-131 to treat head and neck cancers will be successful in the
initial and any future implants, and all other statements in this release,
other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("PSLRA"). This
statement is included for the express purpose of availing IsoRay, Inc. of the
protections of the safe harbor provisions of the PSLRA. It is important to note
that actual results and ultimate corporate actions could differ materially from
those in such forward-looking statements based on such factors as physician
acceptance, training and use of our products, our ability to successfully
manufacture, market and sell our products, our ability to manufacture our
products in sufficient quantities to meet demand within required delivery time
periods while meeting our quality control standards, our ability to enforce our
intellectual property rights, whether additional studies are released and
support the conclusions of early clinical studies, whether initial implants of
Cesium-131 to treat head and neck cancers result in favorable patient outcomes,
patient results achieved when Cesium-131 is used for the treatment of cancers
and malignant diseases beyond prostate cancer, successful completion of future
research and development activities, and other risks detailed from time to time
in IsoRay's reports filed with the SEC.
CONTACT: IsoRay, Inc.
Dwight Babcock, CEO, 520-240-4840
dbabcock@isoray.com
(TS:ISR;) |
