Targeted Prostate Cancer Biopsy And Cancer Treatment Earns Acceptance From Nation's Top Prostate Specialists

Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Article Date: 17 Jan 2009 - 0:00 PST

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To date, more than 3,500 prostate biopsies and subsequent cancer treatment procedures have been conducted using the proprietary TargetScan(R) technology, adopted by prostate specialists in search of more effective cancer treatments with fewer side effects.

The TargetScan technology has been shown to accurately map the prostate, delivering precise, repeatable biopsies that record results from specific locations within the gland. The ability to target specific locations may deliver optimal cancer treatments while reducing negative side effects, such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence that result from more aggressive cancer therapies.

TargetScan collects 3-D images using a proprietary stationary ultrasound probe; leads physicians in systematically mapping prostate locations; and guides biopsy sampling and/or cancer therapies through needle placement within the defined template map. The original technology was introduced in 2005 and is now used at the nation's top urologic centers, including Washington University, Duke University, Emory University, New York University and the University of Michigan - and is being adopted in private practice by urologists interested in bringing state-of-the-art care to their offices.

"TargetScan is an excellent tool that reliably defines where cancer exists in the prostate and maps the prostate in a reproducible manner so I may accurately follow a patient's progress and cancer status over time," explains James K. Bennett, M.D., a leading urologist in private practice in Atlanta. "This is the future of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment for men who seek alternatives to extreme surgical treatments and negative side effects."

Gerald L. Andriole, Jr., M.D., Professor and Chief of Urologic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is a member of a multi-center team that conducted an evaluation of TargetScan. Their study was published in the British Journal of Urology and showed that TargetScan template guided biopsy technology potentially produces a higher cancer detection rate for first time biopsies and a more accurate assessment of grade. "More accurate biopsies and targeted cancer treatments may help patients achieve better results with fewer negative side effects," says Dr. Andriole.

About Envisioneering Medical Technologies

Envisioneering Medical Technologies, based in St. Louis, Mo., offers technology to support the continuum of care for the prostate - from accurate biopsies to targeted cancer treatment. TargetScan Touch(TM) was introduced in late 2008, incorporating a touch-screen interface with the TargetScan(R) Ultrasound Probe technology platform. For more information please visit http://www.envisioneeringmedical.com.

Envisioneering Medical Technologies
http://www.envisioneeringmedical.com

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