SonaCare Medical highlights need for image-guided technologies to better identify prostate cancer

The need to add tissue preserving therapies to the prostate cancer treatment continuum was highlighted prominently at the 108^th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), in San Diego. According to SonaCare Medical, a leader in minimally invasive high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology, the need for image-guided technologies to better identify and localize disease, and for urologists to consider minimally invasive ablative treatments, was addressed in the Opening Session, the Dr. W. Whitmore Memorial Lecture, and multiple sessions throughout the AUA meeting. 

"Giving the annual Whitmore Lecture sponsored by the Society of Urologic Oncology, Dr. Urs Studer presented an exhaustive review of published results to clearly demonstrate the overutilization of radical prostatectomy in the treatment of prostate cancer—having an obvious negative impact on those patients whose cancers are not life threatening or who are beyond surgical cure. This theme, fitting into the PSA screening controversy and the newly proposed AUA guidelines, was also in evidence from multiple presentations on imaging, pathologic and genetic predictors of malignant potential.  And, the growing academic interest in focal and minimally invasive alternative therapies for prostate cancer that have lower morbidity and cost," said Willet F. Whitmore III, MD, FACS.

Reflecting the latest and most advanced technology for focal prostate cancer therapy, SonaCare Medical showcased the new SmartTarget image registration and fusion software, developed by UCL (University College London) which combines and displays diagnostic information from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with live ultrasound images to enable targeted prostate treatment. SmartTarget has undergone extensive clinical evaluation at UCL, including using Smart Target in conjunction with the Sonablate^® 500 as part of a UCL clinical trial led by Mark Emberton, MD, Professor of Interventional Oncology and Director of the Division of Surgery and Interventional Science at UCL. SonaCare recently announced a partnership with UCL Business PLC (UCLB), a leading technology transfer company that supports and commercializes research and innovations from UCL, to integrate SmartTarget into SonaCare Medical's innovative Sonablate 500 HIFU system as part of a project funded by the Department of Health and Wellcome Trust through the Health Innovation Challenge Fund. The Sonablate 500 is currently approved for use in over 30 countries outside the U.S.

Demonstrating significant interest in the marketplace for the only HIFU system 510(k) cleared for the laparoscopic or intraoperative ablation of soft tissue, SonaCare Medical successfully launched the Sonatherm^® HIFU Surgical Ablation System at AUA. "We are very excited by the tremendous interest and excitement generated around the launch of the Sonatherm at the AUA, as well as the growing interest from U.S. urologists to add HIFU to their practices," said Mike Klein, CEO, SonaCare Medical. "Our vision has always been to deliver on the promise of HIFU by developing clinically relevant technologies that can address a wide range of urologic conditions. What we saw at the AUA confirms that the market is rapidly shifting towards acceptance and adoption of targeted therapy into the continuum of options urologists can offer their patients. The tool that can successfully give urologists the ability to deliver minimally invasive ablative treatments has the opportunity to flourish in this environment."

Hosting dozens of key opinion leaders (KOLs) from top clinical centers around the United States to review its platform technology vision of developing HIFU surgical ablation systems for a wide range of urological indications, SonaCare Medical conducted HIFU advisory board meetings focused on bladder, prostate and renal. According to Allan Pantuck, MD, MS, FACS, Professor at UCLA's Department of Urology, "I think there was a clear consensus in the advisory board meetings that the rapid evolution of minimally invasive ablative treatment technologies like the Sonatherm is aligning with the growing shift in clinical practice of focusing treatment on the cancer and not the entire gland."

SonaCare Medical's vision is to develop HIFU surgical ablation systems for a wide range of urological indications, in addition to prostate cancer, that allow for tissue targeting techniques. Sonatherm, like Sonablate 500, is powered by the unique T³ Technology, which allows physicians to: target specific tissue using integrated ultrasound imaging and sophisticated planning tools, treat targeted tissue with pinpoint accuracy while sparing untargeted tissue; and track procedure results using real-time ultrasound imaging along with advanced tissue change monitoring software.