A recurrent topic, but given brief explanation, is BSD Medical's role in lung cancer therapy, the second most prevalent in the U.S. -- and highly important worldwide. And BSDM sales are larger outside the U.S. , where "FDA" approvals run ahead of the U.S. The lung cancer treatment market is very large, and present treatment regimens are far from satisfactory. BSDM's CEO, Wolcott, has emphasized several times that microwave heating is particularly effective for lung cancer. Is the company readying a product tailored to lung cancer therapy? Here is the case for that being imminent. As background, there is an interesting "mystery": As investors in various equipment mfrs are aware, the EU has now (22 July 2014) forbidden sale of non-RoHS compliant electronic items. And, the EU has been a good (small but growing) market area for BSD Medical's larger machines (the 2000-series) for quite some time. While their presently most important product, the MTX-180 is RoHS compliant, the larger machines were not -- and still are not! Why were they not upgraded to RoHS compliance! This lapse does not make sense -- or does it? The reason could simply be that BSD Medical plans to REPLACE the 2000-series with a new design. Read on!
For those new to the subject, microwave cancer therapy covers two basic types: 1) ablation (essentially, killing the tumors) and 2) working in conjunction with other cancer therapies; known as "adjunct" therapy. MIcrowave heating has been shown in many trial to substantially enhance all of the other three modalities: Surgery; Radiotherapy; and Chemotherapy. However, ablation has been developing as the -- err -- hot area for microwave therapy. And, heat ablation of lung tumors is increasingly proven as a prime application -- in part because lung tumors can be so numerous in a patient. Because microwave ablation (MWA) can be non-invasive (as well as minimally invasive; involving only thin prods to be inserted) it has obvious promise for widespread use. And, trials show strong advantages for MWA over older ablation therapies: for example, radio-frequency ablation (RFA).
Below are two references (there are many more) that are part of my basis for suggesting that BSD Medical has been working on and will soon introduce a new product – similar to the 2000-series machines, but capable of providing ablation level temperatures. Further support is from the fact that Wolcott has more than once (from my memory) mentioned that microwave heating is very suitable for treating lung cancer – by inference, through ablation, as he did not mention adjunct use with the other cancer treatment modalities of surgery, radiation, and chemo. Further, the 2000/3d/MR machines, uniquely, can target one to several to many lung tumors simultaneously with only a modest increase in power. And, a power increase might well not be needed -- just better energy focusing, instead. So, I ask: why re-engineer the 2000-series just to meet RoHS? --- when the time is very ripe for an upgrade to allow non-invasive ablation of tumors -- and, anywhere in the body! Yes, this is a speculation -- but, apparently, just a matter of timing, as successful ablations with older equipment are now numerous. And, it is not speculation that Dr. Damian Dupuy, a famous "heavy" in cancer therapy , is on BSD Medical's BOD.
http://www.rfglobalnet.com/doc/microwave-ablation-devices-heating-up-but-competition-looms-0001
Snips:
<Over the past several years, microwave ablation — the use of microwave energy to heat and destroy diseased tissue — has established itself as the medical procedure of choice for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and liver, prostate, kidney, lung, and other forms of cancer. However, it doesn’t appear as though the microwave ablation device market will rest on its laurels. If recent research reports and news coverage of novel applications are any indication, the technology is poised for significant future growth.
While microwave ablation represents only a portion of that $12.4 billion projection, it is a rapidly growing segment, particularly in the United States, according to the Millennium Research Group study US Markets for Nonvascular Interventional Radiology Devices 2013. In fact, the report suggests that microwave ablation devices will take a significant bite out of RF ablation’s market share through 2017, due to inherent advantages of microwave technology. For one, microwaves devices can generate a larger zone of active heating, thanks to their broader field of power density. Additionally, microwaves are not as susceptible as radio waves to the heat sink effect caused by tissue charred or desiccated during the procedure. (Unrelated to the technological benefits, the report also points to the increased merger and acquisition activity surrounding small microwave ablation device companies as evidence of the technology’s potential.)>
<Will IRE or another alternative treatment unseat microwave from their perch atop the minimally invasive cancer and cardiac treatment world? If so, probably not for a good long while. In the meantime, those of you involved in the design, manufacture, and testing of microwave ablation devices can reap the benefits of a thriving and growing market — and continue developing the next generation of innovative microwave technologies to combat life-threatening medical conditions.>
http://www.rsna.org/NewsDetail.aspx?id=5458
<<Microwave Ablation Targets Tumors with Heat
When treating lung cancer, microwave ablation could eventually replace radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as the thermal ablative treatment of choice, said Damian Dupuy, M.D., a professor of diagnostic imaging in the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown University, Providence, R.I., who has published extensively about microwave ablation, most recently in the January 2012 issue of Radiology.
Because many lung cancer patients are long-time smokers who have also developed emphysema or cardiovascular disease, they are often unsuitable candidates for lobectomy, Dr. Dupuy said. While researchers discovered that therapies such RFA were useful in controlling early stage lung cancers, they soon found that microwave ablation held a significant advantage over RFA due to its heating properties, he said.
"A lung tumor is basically soft tissue, but it is surrounded by air in the lung that acts as an insulator to electrical current," Dr. Dupuy said. "With radiofrequency ablation, it is difficult for that current to penetrate far enough into the lung to create a margin. In fact the local recurrence rate is about 25 percent using radiofrequency."
Microwave ablation, on the other hand, involves broadcasting an electromagnetic wave that penetrates the tissue as well as the air surrounding the tumor, generating higher temperatures, Dr. Dupuy said. "The combination of hotter temperatures and the ability to penetrate air make microwave ablation more suitable than radiofrequency for treating lung tumors," he added.
More Hospitals Moving Toward Microwave Ablation
A handful of microwave ablation manufacturers have received FDA approval, most within the last year and a half, Dr. Dupuy said. While he estimates that about three dozen facilities are now using microwave ablation and many more will be migrating in that direction, financial factors, including reimbursement, preclude widespread use in the near future. The focus now is on further researching the technology, Dr. Dupuy said.
"It is clear that patients who have lung cancer with limited treatment options are benefiting from image-guided ablation therapy, though the exact subset of patients who will benefit most and with what ablating technology remains unknown," Dr. Dupuy said. "Therefore, additional research must be conducted.">>
Note: Dr. Dupuy became a BSD M. BOD member not long after the above publication. |
