InSightec Ltd., an Israeli developer of magnetic resonance-guided ultrasound technology, says that its ExAblate system has been used for the first time for the treatment of prostate cancer patients. Seven patients with localized low-risk prostate cancer were treated so far at the N.N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and at the National Cancer Centre at the Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
The company says its ExAblate system, which has been in clinical use for the treatment of uterine fibroids and bone metastases, is an image-guided, non-invasive, robotic acoustic surgery system. The system integrates real time magnetic resonance imaging to visualize the tumor, surrounding tissue and the energy delivery path together with high intensity focused ultrasound beam which is delivered with millimeter precision to destroy the cancerous tumor without damaging surrounding tissue. This damage to surrounding tissue is often the cause of most complications. The real-time measurements provide accurate closed-loop monitoring of the treatment and ability to adjust it according to specific patient’s physiology.
The ExAblate system was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2004 as a treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroids. Over 6,000 women have been treated worldwide.
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