YOKNEAM, Israel and PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pennsylvania, May 21 /PRNewswire/-- Galil Medical, a global leader in cryotherapy, announced today that theAmerican Urological Association has introduced clinical guidelines with bestpractice statements for prostate cryotherapy. The guidelines state thatcryoablation is a treatment option for men with clinically confined prostatecancer of any grade and that salvage cryoablation is a treatment option inmen who have failed radiation therapy.
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Prostate cryotherapy uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy prostatecancer cells. This minimally invasive procedure is routinely and successfullyperformed on prostate cancer patients with varying disease stages as well asthose who have failed radiation treatment. Prostate cancer is the most commoncancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. The American Cancer Societyestimates that during 2008 about 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer will bediagnosed in the United States.
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The American Urological Association (AUA), the premier professionalassociation for the advancement of urologic patient care, routinely adoptsclinical guidelines and best practice statements, releasing updates astechnology improves. Dr. Richard Babaian, Professor and Senior MedicalDirector at the MD Anderson Physician Network, presented the new guidelinesfor cryotherapy for the treatment of localized prostate cancer at the plenarysession of the AUA annual meeting.
Martin J. Emerson, Galil Medical President and CEO comments, "We arepleased that the AUA, in its preeminent role in assessing new treatmentoptions for urologists and their patients, now recognizes cryotherapy as amainstream treatment option for patients diagnosed with localized prostatecancer."
Urologists can learn first-hand about cryotherapy at the CryosurgicalAblation of the Prostate course being presented during the AUA annual meetingon Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 6-8 a.m.
A recently published retrospective study of primary prostate cryotherapyby Dr. Jeffrey Cohen reported 10-year follow up data with biochemical controlcomparable to external beam radiotherapy or prostate brachytherapy. Theliterature has also shown that advances over the last 10 years incryoablation techniques have dramatically improved the morbidity profile.
New guidelines for the treatment of localized prostate cancer werereleased by the AUA in 2007 and emphasized communication with the patientregarding risk, treatment options, and potential outcomes. At that time, itwas recognized that cryotherapy for the treatment of localized prostatecancer should be the topic of an AUA best practice policy.
About Galil Medical
Galil Medical develops, manufactures and markets innovative productsutilizing a proprietary cryotherapy platform that incorporates powerfulfreezing technology and revolutionary 17-gauge cryoablation needle design.Galil Medical systems enable minimally invasive, targeted ablation of benignand cancerous tumors while ensuring rapid recovery and enhanced quality oflife for patients. The Presice(TM) Cryoablation System features multi-pointthermal sensors (MTS) and advanced IceVue(TM) planning software for excellentprocedure control in treating prostate and renal cancer. The SeedNet(TM)system provides physicians with an easy-to-use cryoablation solution toprecisely ablate tumors while protecting adjacent structures.
Galil Medical is a global medical device company with offices in Yokneam,Israel; Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania; and London, Shareholders includeThomas, McNerney & Partners, The Vertical Group, Investor Growth Capital,Elron Electronic Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ:ELRN) and RDC Rafael DevelopmentCorporation, Ltd. For more information, please visithttp://www.galilmedical.com
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