Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : Theragenics on the NYSE (TGX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam2482 who wrote (276)	10/30/1999 5:29:00 PM
From: dfloydr	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 305

Good article from the Yahoo thread: Note: Theraseed had better results than iodine seeds, both had good results. New Clinical Study Reveals TheraSeed Associated With Lower Complications In Treatment For Prostate Cancer Oct 28 at 16:13 BUFORD, Ga.--(BW HealthWire)--Oct. 28, 1999--Theragenics Corporation (NYSE: TGX) today announced that a seven-year study conducted at Yale University School of Medicine demonstrates that patients receiving the Company's TheraSeed(R) palladium-103 (Pd-103) seed implants experienced significantly lower incidences of side effects than patients implanted with I-125. The results of this peer-reviewed study appear in the October 29, 1999, issue of Radiation Oncology Investigations: Clinical and Basic Research. Drs. Richard E. Peschel, M.D., Ph.D. (professor of Radiation Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine), Zhe Chen, Ph.D., Kenneth Roberts, M.D. and Ravinder Nath, Ph.D. conducted the study at Yale University in which a review of 123 early stage T1c and T2 prostate cancer patients implanted between 1992 and 1999 with I-125 (82 patients) or TheraSeed(R) (41 patients) reveals a significantly lower overall complication rate with TheraSeed(R) (0%) versus I- 125 (13%). Most important, the grade III-IV complication (bladder, urethra, and rectum) rate for TheraSeed(R) was 0% versus 6% for I-125. The three-year actuarial probability of remaining free of long-term complications was 100% for Pd-103 versus 82% for I-125. The study also reported that a review of the literature for 992 patients implanted with I-125 (Drs. Beyer, Blasko, Hu, Kaye and Peschel) versus 540 patients implanted with TheraSeed(R) (Drs. Blasko, Peschel and Sharkey) shows a consistently higher complication rate for I-125 versus TheraSeed(R). These findings reveal that current prostate implant programs are highly successful and that overall severe complication rates from both I-125 and Pd-103 are very low when compared to other treatment modalities. A total of 11 (9%) patients of the 123 implants performed at Yale had a documented long-term complication, all of whom were implanted with I-125. No patient with a TheraSeed(R) implant has had a long-term complication. This study also suggests that improvements in the outcomes with implant therapy are possible, including better local tumor control or a reduction in moderate long-term complications. Another significant aspect of this study indicates that the minimum tumor dose(MTD) for TheraSeed(R) may be increased without compromising side effect results. By increasing the MTD of TheraSeed(R) the cell kill rate for TheraSeed(R) implants will be greater than that of I-125 implants for all higher grade tumors and low grade tumors. "We already know TheraSeed(R) cures cancer. However, this first of its kind study clearly indicates that men implanted with TheraSeed(R) can expect fewer complications than with competing I-125 seeds. Less complications mean a better quality of life for men choosing TheraSeed(R) for their prostate cancer treatment," said Christine Jacobs, chairman, president and CEO of Theragenics Corporation. "TheraSeed(R) was put to a rigorous test and performed even better than we expected." Theragenics Corporation, based in Buford, Ga., is the manufacturer of TheraSeed(R) - palladium-103, a rice-sized radioactive device used in the treatment of localized prostate cancer with a one-time, minimally invasive procedure. For additional information on the Company, call Theragenics' Investor Relations Department at (800) 998-8479. The Company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TGX.