First Mobetron In China To Be Used In New National Lung Cancer Initiative

Main Category: Lung Cancer
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 02 Dec 2006 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

IntraOp Medical Corporation (OTCBB: IOPM), a provider of innovative technology solutions for the treatment and eradication of cancer, has announced that Mobetron® and IOERT will form an integral component in the Chinese Government's new initiative to combat lung cancer. Mobetron is a proprietary, mobile electron-beam instrument designed for Intraoperative Electron Radiation Therapy (IOERT), the direct application of radiation to a tumor while a patient is undergoing cancer surgery.

Lung cancer is a major worldwide health problem and, with more than 400,000 cases per year, is by far China's most prevalent cancer. If left unchecked, experts estimate that within ten years, more than half of the world's lung cancer cases will occur in China. The current incidence of lung cancer in the United States is 174,000 cases per year and 163,000 patients die of this disease in the U.S. For this reason, the Cancer Institute and Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Peking Union Medical College (Beijing Tumor Hospital) has been designated by the Chinese Ministry of Health to become the research and development center for the treatment of lung cancer in China under the Lung Cancer Initiative. Other institutions will focus on early diagnosis and prevention.

Dr. He Jie, Vice-Dean of the Medical Center and Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Cancer Institute and Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Peking Union Medical College was appointed by the Ministry of Health to lead the treatment and research efforts in combating lung cancer in China. Beijing Tumor Hospital conducts more than 1,200 surgeries for lung cancer each year and Dr. He is recognized as one of the world's leading thoracic surgeons and researchers.

"We intend to use Mobetron and IOERT to provide a precise method of dose escalation for our surgical lung cancer patients," said Dr. He. "In lung cancer, metastatic failure is still the major problem, but we have made significant advances in the chemotherapy that we can offer patients. To be successful in this disease, we also need to focus on improving local control which will, incidentally, also help reduce the formation of metastases."

Dr. He continued, "Because the thorax has many radiation sensitive structures, escalating the dose to achieve local control of the tumor even through sophisticated radiation techniques available today, is not easy. IOERT escalates the dose at the time of surgery when residual tumor cells are most sensitive to destruction. This is where Mobetron can play a role."

When detected early, the current treatments for lung cancer can be effective and the patient's prognosis is significantly better than when detected in the later stages of the disease. For example, patients with Stage I lung cancer have a 60 - 70% five-year survival, while those with more advanced Stage III disease have only a 15% five-year survival.

The Lung Cancer Initiative was officially inaugurated on October 20 and 21, 2006, by the Vice-Minister of Health, Dr. Huang Jiefu, himself a surgeon, at a special symposium. Prominent lung cancer researchers and practitioners throughout China came together to share their research, to discuss the status of lung cancer both in China and the rest of the world, and to suggest promising avenues of research for the treatment of this disease.

Together with Dr. Wang Liu-Hua, Professor and Deputy Director of Radiation Oncology at the Cancer institute, protocols using IOERT will be developed for every stage of lung cancer in which surgery is employed.

"This concerted effort by the Chinese Government to establish a world-class lung cancer research and treatment facility can have widespread implications not only for lung cancer patients in China but for cancer patients throughout the world," said Dr. Donald A. Goer, President and CEO of IntraOp Medical Corporation. "Previous IOERT studies involving lung cancer have been limited in scope and involved relatively few patients. Though the published results were encouraging, some showing two or three times the five-year survival over that achieved with conventional approaches alone, it was difficult to draw definitive conclusions concerning the proper role of IOERT in the treatment of this disease. This initiative will finally give us the answers."

###

About Beijing Tumor Hospital

Beijing Tumor Hospital is the teaching, research and treatment hospital of the Beijing University Medical School, focusing on the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients. With 400 beds, the institution treats 6,000 patients per year. In addition to a modern radiotherapy department, the center boasts one of the most advanced tumor molecular biology laboratories in the world.

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, 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 Mobetron as a vital part of their comprehensive cancer program.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the 1933 Securities Act and Section 21E of the 1934 Securities Exchange Act. Actual results could differ materially, as the result of such factors as competition in the markets for the company's products and services and the ability of the Company to execute its plans. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company can give no assurances that transactions described in this press release will be successfully completed, and undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this press release.

For more information on IntraOp Medical Corporation, please visit http://www.intraopmedical.com

• Additional
• References
• Citations