UNIVERSITIES TEST NEW PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY

Ten top hospitals recently announced that they would test a new FDA-approved prostate diagnostic and treatment device. The Prostate Cancer Biopsy Study will examine the TargetScan Bendable Needle and Guide System to determine whether it is able to detect cancer sooner than conventional techniques.

Combining 3-D image acquisition with a stationary probe, TargetScan allows physicians to plan and execute targeted prostate biopsies using a patented bendable biopsy needle. Comparably, current procedures require urologists to hold and pivot a probe with one hand while performing a needle biopsy with the other hand -- forcing physicians to miss potential cancers.

The 900-patient clinical study will compare TargetScan's biopsy results to the clinical outcomes derived from current methods, which can leave cancer undetected for up to three biopsies. TargetScan's developer, Envisioneering Medical Technologies, will commercially launch the device for clinical use once the study is completed.