IsoRay Announces World's First Cesium-131 Mesh Treatment for Meningioma Brain Tumors

RICHLAND, WA, Jun 05, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- IsoRay Inc. ISR -2.69% , a medical technology company and innovator in seed brachytherapy and medical radioisotope applications, today announced another milestone in the treatment of brain tumors using its groundbreaking Cesium-131 (Cs-131) seed sutured mesh for internal radiation therapy. Dr. Kris Alan Smith, surgeon and Medical Director, Gamma Knife Center, supported by Dr. David G. Brachman, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at St. Joseph's Hospital & Medical Center, Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, performed the world's first Cesium-131 brachytherapy seed sutured mesh implant on a female patient suffering from a recurring meningioma tumor.

Meningiomas are an assorted set of tumors that develop in membranous layers surrounding the central nervous system. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumor and represent one-third of all brain tumors. These fast growing tumors often reoccur. They cause pressure on the brain, destroying brain cells and causing a variety of health and quality of life problems for the stricken patient. There are both benign and malignant meningioma tumors.

The Cesium-131 brachytherapy sutured mesh implant was performed on a female patient suffering from her fourth reoccurrence of a meningioma. The sutured mesh was placed over the resected tumor at the time of surgery to provide immediate radiation therapy to the entire tumor bed and margins, which is aimed at preventing tumor reoccurrence.

source: Isoray

DARA BioSciences Announces Launch of Bionect for Treatment of Skin Irritation and Burns Associated With Radiation Therapy for Cancer

RALEIGH, N.C., June 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DARA BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:DARA) (the "Company" or "DARA"), an emerging oncology and oncology-support specialty pharmaceutical company, announced the commercial launch of Bionect® for the treatment of skin irritation and burns associated with radiation therapy.

DARA has hired a dedicated team of five field-based Regional Business Directors who will coordinate the commercial introduction of Bionect for the cancer care market across the United States. Each Director brings over 20 years of commercial experience as well as extensive expertise in product launches and niche product marketing.

"This is a milestone event for DARA. In a very short period of time we have transformed ourselves into a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company. The launch of Bionect demonstrates our ability to execute against our corporate objective of making this transformation a reality. Our goal is to become the preeminent company in oncology supportive care. Bionect is the first step in that direction," said CEO Dr. David J. Drutz.

Nearly two-thirds of cancer patients will receive radiation therapy during their illness. This equates to approximately one million patients per year treated with radiotherapy. Up to 87 percent of these radiation oncology patients may experience moderate to severe radiodermatitis, during or after therapy. Such treatment breaks down skin barriers, which may lead to infection. The management of these skin reactions varies among cancer centers and is often based on personal preference and historical practices rather than clinical evidence. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, Bionect, the only low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid available in the market, was shown to help resolve radiation-induced inflammation and also to postpone the first signs of acute epithelitis.

source: DARA Bioscience

Large U.S. Multi-Center Study Confirms Safety and Efficacy of SIR-Spheres(R) microspheres in More Than 600 Patients with Unresectable Liver Metastases

CHICAGO, Jun 04, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- SIR-Spheres(R) microspheres are well-tolerated and effective internal radiotherapy for unresectable, heavily pre-treated colorectal cancer liver metastases, according to results from a new study of more than 600 patients presented today at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The data were presented by lead investigator Andrew Kennedy, M.D., FACRO, from Cancer Centers of North Carolina and North Carolina State University.(1) SIR-Spheres microspheres are manufactured by Sirtex and are the only fully FDA-approved microsphere radiation therapy for the treatment of colorectal liver metastases.

"This is the largest, most comprehensive study to date evaluating the use of Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) in liver metastases from colorectal cancer," said Dr. Kennedy. "The data presented at ASCO confirm the safety and efficacy of this treatment option for patients and provide truly useful, validated information for clinicians. It is our hope that these results will help encourage appropriate patient selection discussion during tumor boards and with individual patients and their families."

SIR-Spheres microspheres are a novel outpatient treatment for colorectal liver metastases, both alone and in combination with chemotherapy. SIR-Spheres microspheres were FDA approved for use in colorectal liver metastases in 2002 and are now available at more than 400 cancer centers worldwide.

source= Marketwatch

ViewRay Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy System

CLEVELAND, May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- ViewRay(TM) Incorporated, a privately held medical device company, has received U.S. FDA 510(k) premarket notification clearance for its MRI-guided radiation therapy system. The ViewRay system features a unique combination of radiotherapy delivery and simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the treatment of cancer. ViewRay's treatment planning and delivery software received 510(k) premarket notification clearance in 2011.

"FDA clearance of our integrated system is a major milestone in the development of our technology," said ViewRay President and CEO Gregory M. Ayers, MD, PhD. "It has already been an exciting year for ViewRay, with an additional round of funding and the installation of our first research systems at major U.S. medical centers. Early clinical imaging studies have verified the quality of the system's MR images, and now we're looking forward to clinical applications." The ViewRay system provides continuous soft-tissue imaging during treatment so that clinicians can see and record precisely where radiation therapy is being delivered, as it's being delivered.

ViewRay's patented cancer treatment technology was invented by company founder James F. Dempsey, PhD, while he was a member of the radiation oncology faculty at the University of Florida. "ViewRay began with the idea that we need to see what exactly we're doing when we treat cancer patients with radiation therapy," said Dempsey, now ViewRay's chief scientific officer. "Thanks to our clear vision, an outstanding engineering team, and dedicated leadership, we're now able to bring that idea into the clinic, where it can help cancer patients."

source: MarketWatch