IntraOp Debuts DermaBeam™ Radiotherapy Solution For Dermatologists

Main Category: Dermatology
Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine
Article Date: 08 Mar 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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IntraOp Medical Corporation (OTCBB: IOPM) announces the launch of DermaBeam™, a ground-breaking new paradigm in radiation therapy for office-based dermatology applications and the first implementation at Dermrad, LLC in Ft. Myers, FL.

DermaBeam™ is the first ever office-based electron beam radiation therapy solution. It is based on IntraOp's Mobetron, a mobile and affordable linear accelerator that eliminates the need for the tons of costly and cumbersome shielding and equipment siting required by traditional linear accelerators. While radiation therapy has long been the preferred standard-of-care for many types of skin cancers, the logistics of radiation delivery have made its benefits impractical and inaccessible for most dermatologists and their patients. DermaBeam™ delivers precise, highly effective radiation therapy fine-tuned for the needs of dermatologists and related office-based practices.

Andrew Jaffe, MD, a longtime Florida-based dermatologist, co-founded Dermrad, LLC to utilize the DermaBeam treatment at his Florida dermatology office. Dermrad, LLC is the first medical group to offer the pioneering DermaBeam™ External Beam Radiation Therapy and is excited to have begun treatments earlier this year.

"For patients with cancer in cosmetically sensitive areas and patients that have trouble healing, like diabetics, DermaBeam™ offers an alternative that provides superior cosmetic results," Dr. Jaffe said. "By using DermaBeam™, we are now able to offer a safe, effective, non-surgical alternative for skin cancer treatment."

"In addition to the patient benefits," said Albert DeNittis MD MS, another Dermrad co-founder, "DermaBeam™ offers an impressive economic benefit to my dermatology practice. We think as many as 25 percent of our skin cancer patients will choose the DermaBeam™ treatment because of its cosmetic benefits. DermaBeam™ RT treatments are fully covered and paid by insurance carriers and will allow dermatologists to treat more patients and further increase the size of their practice."

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) is one of the most common forms of radiation therapy delivered to treat a full range of internal tumors in radiation therapy centers nationwide. The technique uses a linear accelerator, a high energy electron machine, to direct radiation to the cancer site. Typically, patients receive a course of five or six weekly treatments five to six times each week. In skin cancer therapy, EBRT potentially may be used independently or as a complement to surgery, chemotherapy and a variety of other treatments. However, because of the logistics of traveling to radiation therapy centers and the administrative difficulties of this multi-specialty approach, today radiation therapy for skin cancers is uncommon.

Yet, this highly effective non-invasive treatment, as an alternative to surgery, offers particular benefits to patients with lesions in cosmetically sensitive areas such as the face and scalp. It also may be preferable for patients suffering from diabetes or blood-clotting disorders. DermaBeam™ takes advantage of the proven performance of IntraOp Mobetron technology, to bring electron beam radiation therapy to a flexible, easily accessible medical office environment. It allows doctors to deliver high-dose radiation treatment more precisely than traditional large-scale linear accelerators, helping to minimize damage to healthy skin tissue surrounding a tumor. With the specialized DermaBeam™ treatment, dermatologists are able to provide offer a multi-disciplinary approach to skin cancer therapy and provide patients a range of treatment options.

"We are very excited to introduce the power of DermaBeam™ to the dermatology market and to work with dermatologists to reintroduce the benefits of a multi-disciplinary approach to treating skin cancer," said John Powers, CEO of IntraOp, adding, "With strong reimbursement, superior cosmesis and proven clinical effectiveness, we are confident DermaBeam™ will be widely adopted by dermatologists in the United States."

About IntraOp

IntraOp Medical Corporation provides innovative technology solutions for the treatment and eradication of cancer. Founded in 1993, IntraOp is committed to providing the tools doctors need to administer intraoperative radiation therapy safely and effectively - for all cancer patients. The company's flagship product, the Mobetron, is the first fully portable, self-shielding intraoperative electron radiation therapy device designed for use in any operating room. Key Mobetron benefits include: increased survival rates, better local tumor control, shorter treatment cycles, and fewer side effects. Leading hospitals, from university research centers to specialized cancer clinics in North America, Europe and Asia, use the Mobetron as a vital part of their comprehensive cancer program.

For more information about IntraOp Medical and the Mobetron, please visit: http://www.intraopmedical.com

IntraOp Medical Corporation

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