Oncology, urology  

Bristol Hospital offers Sonablate prostate cancer treatment on fee-per-use basis

Update, 2 March 2007: Southmead Hospital no longer offers the prostate HIFU treatment. It is now available at the Nuffield Hospital Bristol, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Tetbury Hospital.

5 July 2006

Farmingdale, N.Y., USA & Bristol, England. Southmead Hospital, part of North Bristol NHS Trust in England, will offer the Sonablate 500 for high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of prostate cancer on a fee-per-use basis.

The Sonablate 500 is a medical device developed by Focus Surgery, Inc. and manufactured and distributed in Europe by Misonix Inc. (Nasdaq: MSON). In the United Kingdom (UK), the device is marketed through Misonix subsidiary UK-HIFU Limited. The fee-per-use program for the Sonablate 500 was launched in early 2006 and is available in forty sites. Previously, the Sonablate 500 had only been available in the UK for capital equipment purchases.

Southmead Hospital's Bristol Urology Unit will use the HIFU device for non-invasive treatment of prostate cancer. Many doctors are showing interest in the device because of its ability to deliver highly targeted treatment which generally do not require a second procedure for transurethral resection of the prostate, a surgical process in which tissue is cut from the prostate using a resectoscope. A different HIFU device available in the UK requires a separate initial procedure because of its limited ability to treat the size of the average prostate gland. Therefore, the patient must undergo two separate procedures which combine for what is estimated to be a lengthier treatment cycle than the single procedure with the Sonablate 500.

According to a story in The Bristol Evening Post, Paul Williams, aged 58, was one of the first people to benefit from the HIFU treatment. "When I first heard I had prostate cancer I was really worried that it would be a long painful treatment," he said. "But the HIFU treatment was no trouble at all... I was also concerned that it would make me impotent, but everything seems to be A-OK in that department. After I had the treatment I was back playing golf by the end of the week."

"We believe health care providers using the Sonablate 500 have selected our device among the other alternatives because of its efficacy and its single-procedure treatment that is both sensitive to the patient's lifestyle as well as ongoing efforts by regulators, insurers and medical practitioners to control the cost of health care," said Michael A. McManus, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Misonix.

"Our device has the ability to destroy the cancerous tissue and at the same time preserve the vital structures around the gland. Using the Sonablate 500's unique visually directed HIFU process, more precise targeting of cancer cells enable the physician to avoid damaging the neurovascular bundle and other delicate surroundings. As a result, patients enjoy relatively normal post-procedure body functions. Results to date indicate that 90% of men treated with the Sonablate 500 are retaining the same level of erectile function post-treatment as their pre-treatment levels and there have been no cases of urinary incontinence lasting more than six months."

"The Sonablate has led to very positive outcomes for the treatment of more than 100 men with prostate cancer in the UK during the last 12 months alone. In recent months, we have been successful in bringing the device to significantly more medical facilities on a fee-per-use basis, thus enabling the treatment of many more men diagnosed with prostate cancer. There are now a total of forty sites in the UK where HIFU prostate cancer treatment with the Sonablate 500 is available on a fee-per-use basis, which is an increase of approximately 20% during the past two months."

To top

To top