iCAD, Inc., a leading provider of advanced image analysis, workflow solutions and radiation therapy for the early detection and treatment of cancer, recently announced the public release of a novel cervical applicator for the Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System. The system is an FDA-approved isotope-free radiation treatment indicated for use anywhere in the body, and can be used in early-stage breast cancer, gynecological cancers and non-melanoma skin cancer. It features a small x-ray that precisely delivers radiation directly to affected areas while preserving healthy tissue.
The new applicator will be the system’s first multi-platform controller and caps off the system’s gynecological product line. It will be exhibited in the iCAD/Xoft booth (#1239) during the annual American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) meeting, currently running until the 16th of July in Anaheim, CA. Findings from several key studies on the use of HDR electronic brachytherapy will also be available through poster and oral presentations.
“Cancer of the cervix continues to pose a serious health risk to a large population of women worldwide. The launch of this new applicator demonstrates iCAD’s ongoing commitment to furthering the development of HDR electronic brachytherapy technology for the treatment of gynecological cancers,” said Ken Ferry, CEO of iCAD.
“These clinical data presentations highlight the safety and efficacy of the Xoft electronic brachytherapy source as a treatment option for skin, breast and gynecological cancers. The results of these studies further confirm the clinical value of our technology across multiple applications,” Mr. Ferry added.
In 2015, the American Cancer Society estimates cervical cancer will claim about 4,100 lives and roughly 12,900 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed. While this type of cancer used to be one of the leading causes of cancer-related death among women in the country, the death rate has been reduced by more than half, largely due to the rise in women undergoing the Pap test. This screening test has the ability to detect cervical irregularities before cancer develops – when it is at its most curable stage.
In an earlier report on cervical cancer and radiation therapy, a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute led by senior author Dr. Sushil Beriwal looked at the frequency of duodenal (a part of the small intestine) toxicity in 76 patients undergoing extended-field intensity modulated radiation therapy for cervical or endometrial cancers, a side effect reported in previous studies. Their results showed that after a mean follow-up of more that 1,5 years, whilst using a normal prescribing dose of radiation therapy, the rate of duodenal toxicity was low. Only three patients had serious side effects requiring hospitalization or surgery.