RAS' Radiation Oncology Centers first in the northern California to treat prostate cancer with Beacon® transponder technology

Radiation Oncologists able to pinpoint a prostate tumor's location with greater accuracy in real time with innovative localization system.

Sacramento, California -- April 24, 2007 -- Radiological Associates of Sacramento Medical Group, Inc. today announced it is the first cancer-care program in Northern California to provide prostate cancer patients access to the Calypso® 4D Localization System for precision-guided radiation therapy delivery to the prostate with continuous, objective, organ-motion tracking accuracy.

Radiation therapy is used to treat about one million cancer patients in the United States each year and is very effective in destroying cancer cells. However, in prostate cancer treatment the most common side effects arise when the radiation beam misses the prostate but irradiates adjacent healthy organs causing complications like impotence, urinary incontinence and rectal bleeding. Therefore, doctors must guard against damaging healthy tissues that surround the tumor caused by misalignment and unpredictable tumor motion. 

The Calypso® 4D Localization System is now enabling RAS' Radiation Oncology Center (the ROC) physicians the ability to pinpoint a prostate tumor's location with greater accuracy and continuously monitor its position in a real-time fashion during radiation treatment. This technology, which has FDA 510(k) clearance, uses tiny electromagnetic sensors, called Beacon® transponders, that are each about the size of a small grain of rice. Transponders are implanted in the prostate prior to treatment. Subsequently, the Calypso System continuously monitors the position and motion of the organ by tracking transponder positions during therapy delivery and alerts clinicians when the prostate is not properly aligned with the radiation beam. Recent data* has demonstrated that during a typical treatment the prostate moves significantly enough within 15 minutes to interfere with the precision-targeting effects of the radiation delivery. With Calypso, this is obviated.

"Over the last several years early product concepts were evaluated contributing to the product design and operation," said Eric R. Meier, Calypso Medical president and CEO. "After extensive research, Calypso Medical was able to develop a very robust application, designed to improve the accuracy, efficiency and, for the first time, enable continuous, real-time tumor tracking. This pioneering technology, is currently only being offered in a few preeminent radiation oncology centers throughout the U.S."

According to Narasimhachari Raghavan, RAS President and Chairman of the Board, "Patients are well educated in prostate cancer treatment options and seek the best treatment approach possible." He continued," This 4D monitoring technology is a key building block in the ROC's commitment to provide patients access to a complementary array of leading-edge radiation therapy delivery option."

Mark Logsdon M.D., Chairman, Radiation Oncology Division at RAS and champion of Calypso®  Medical technology believes this will pave the way for expanded treatment delivery options in radiation therapy and enable clinicians to better manage organ motion during therapy. "We're honored to be the first program locally to offer the Calypso System to prostate cancer patients," said Logsdon. "We expect the Calypso® 4D Localization System to factor into the patient's decision when selecting The ROC for their radiation treatment."