IsoRay Medical's cesium-131 combined with External Beam Radiation to target prostate cancer

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Nov. 22 - IsoRay Medical Inc. said Eisenhower Lucy Curci Cancer Center in Palm Springs, Calif., has introduced a combined therapy using the IsoRay's cesium-131 isotope seeds and External Beam Radiation Therapy, the first time cesium-131 brachytherapy has been paired with that kind of radiation therapy.

"This is a powerful, but very targeted, approach to dealing with prostate cancer. We believe this dual therapy offers prostate cancer patients and their physicians an attractive alternative for treatment, as the short half-life of cesium-131 may allow the completion of the combined therapy in a shorter period of time," IsoRay Medical chairman and chief executive officer Roger Girard said in a company news release.

In seed brachytherapy, radioactive seeds are implanted directly into the prostate gland during a procedure that allows patients to typically return to normal daily activities within two to three days, the company said.

External Beam Radiation Therapy uses linear accelerators to deliver radiation to a specified location - in this case, the prostate gland - to stop the growth and reproduction of cancer cells.

The cesium-131 seed offers a significantly shorter half-life than the two other isotopes commonly used for brachytherapy, which results in a substantially faster delivery of therapeutic radiation, lower probability of cancer cell survival and reduction of the longevity of side effects, the company said.

IsoRay Medical is the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of cesium-131 isotope seeds and recently expanded its production capabilities with the opening of a new facility, which is expected to increase seed output and enhance delivery systems offered by the company.

Management has indicated that the new production facility will give IsoRay Medical the capacity to manufacture up to 60,000 radioactive seeds per month, serving the needs of approximately 600 patients. This represents a 10-fold increase over IsoRay's current production capability.

IsoRay Medical received U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval to market its cesium-131 seed for the treatment of prostate cancer and other malignancies in March 2003.

IsoRay Medical, a subsidiary of IsoRay Inc., is a biotechnology company based in Richland, Wash. that that develops isotopes for use in the medical treatment of various malignant diseases.

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