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| |  Cryosurgery For Prostate Cancer Safe, Effective When Radiation Fails IRVINE, CA -- September 19, 2001 -- Endocare, Inc., a developer of innovative temperature-based treatments for prostate cancer and prostate obstruction, announced today that a new study published in The Journal of Urology concluded that cryosurgery is a "safe and effective treatment" for prostate cancer patients who have unsuccessfully undergone radiation therapy, and is a better option than radical prostatectomy for those patients. The study, published in the October edition of the journal, a publication of the American Urological Association, noted that the use of the minimally invasive Endocare CryoCare targeted ablation system resulted in "a marked decrease in complications" associated with the treatment. The study also reported biochemical recurrence-free survival calculated from Kaplan-Meier curves was 86 percent at one year and 74 percent at two years. Aaron E. Katz, M.D., assistant professor of urology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and the leader of the study team, said he was impressed with the latest cryosurgical techniques, which have substantially reduced any side-effects such as incontinence or rectal fistulas following the ablation treatment. "This is tremendous news for men whose cancer is resistant to radiation, who otherwise have very few options," Dr. Katz said. “[This procedure] is less invasive and causes less trauma and fewer side-effects than salvage radical prostatectomy." Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting American men, with an estimated 180,400 new cases expected this year and an estimated 31,400 deaths this year. A significant number of men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer will undergo some sort of radiation treatment to the prostate, either external beam or seed implantation or a combination of the two, the study noted. Radiation is no longer a treatment option for those whose cancer reoccurs, however, since the tumors have already been shown to be radio-resistant and any re-treatment would put a patient at risk of serious complications. Until now, their only options were radical prostatectomy, a complex and surgically challenging treatment associated with significant side effects or morbidity, or hormone deprivation therapy. The journal study noted that the new cryosurgery methods resulted in an incontinence rate of only 7.9 percent -- a dramatic decrease from earlier published reports -- that was attributed largely to the surgeon's ability to monitor the temperature within the prostate gland through probes placed within the sphincter. The monitoring prevents further damage to the area, the study noted. The lack of any evidence of rectal fistulas was attributed to the CryoCare technique of improved ultrasound technology and temperature monitor probes. Endocare President and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Mikus, said the study provides another indication of the promise of targeted cryosurgery, a procedure that is now also being clinically tested for use in the treatment of lung, liver, breast and kidney cancer. "Modern, targeted cryosurgery offers new hope for people suffering from a variety of serious, potentially life-threatening, cancers," Mr. Mikus said. "We are just beginning to tap into its extraordinary potential." SOURCE; Endocare, Inc.
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