19
Million
new cancer cases each year worldwide
10
Million
global deaths due to cancer
98%
5-year survival rate
Some cancers have more treatment options and achieving good outcomes
20%
5-year survival rate
Some cancers are harder to treat with fewer treatment options
Our products are aimed to make a difference for Patients and Providers
Brachytherapy Overview
Cancers are commonly treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Each treatment option can be prescribed alone or in combination with others. There are 2 main methods of radiation delivery to the targeted site – External and Internal radiotherapy.
External radiation delivers radiation from outside of the body to the target site inside the body. It is also referred to as External Beam Radiation Therapy, or EBRT. Internal radiotherapy places the radiation source inside the body.
What is brachytherapy?
Brachytherapy derives from the Greek word for short, brachy, referring to the distance between the therapeutic agent and the target lesion. This method of treatment was first used over 100 years ago. The placement of a radiation source close to the tumor inside the body often requires a natural orifice [mouth, nose, anus or vagina] for an applicator to be inserted and positioned adjacent to the tumor.
Brachytherapy has several key differences as compared with EBRT.
- The path from radiation source to tumor is short – greatly minimizing toxicity and damage to surrounding tissues
- Number of treatments for HDR Brachytherapy is usually 3 to 5, vs 30 to 50 for EBRT
- High dose is able to be delivered over fewer treatments
- Medical physics, dosimetry, is more direct with simpler planning
To deliver the radiation dose to the tumor, an Applicator is used to guide the placement of radioactive source – a key component for delivering the radiation sources to the targeted area. After proper position is confirmed, radioactive source is delivered from an Afterloader, that delivers the prescribed radiation dose
Our Products
Ancer Medical, Inc. has developed two applicators with innovative design used in HDR [high-dose rate] Brachytherapy treatments for cancers of the Esophagus and Rectum.
The applicators were developed in collaboration with a world-renowned cancer research and treatment institution, using an innovative balloon configurations to enable optimal positioning in multiple treatments.
Both products are FDA 510(k) cleared and they are the subject of pending and issued patents.
