October 26 2001
Veenendaal, The Netherlands - Nucletron BV announces that it has received FDA clearance to begin marketing its new "SPOT-Sonographic Planning of Oncology Treatment" software for permanent prostate seed implants. Cancer of the prostate is the most common cancer in men. There are about 350,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. in 1999. More than 80% of the men diagnosed are over the age of 65, and about 45,000 will die of the disease each year. Seed implants as a treatment for early-stage prostate cancer is expected to experience strong cumulative growth in the next few years. This growth will be driven by the impressive advances made in the permanent seed implantation technique. Nucletron’s SPOT software is a break-through in providing the first mobile 3D ultrasound system for real-time "Live prostate seed Planning ", a fully featured three dimensional planning system . "The SPOT system takes prostate cancer into a completely new level, enabling Pre-Planning, Needle insertion and "Live Planning" as a single procedure in the operation room. Real time display of isodoses, Natural Dose Volume Histogram and the Cumulative Dose Volume Histogram during the interactive placement of the needles and seeds is a new and important feature of the SPOT." - Prof. Jan J. Battermann , Department of Radiotherapy, University Hospital Utrecht. "SPOT combines Nucletron's strenghts as a world leader in brachytherapy with the patented L3DTM Ultrasound Technology to improve speed and effectiveness of the prostate seed treatment " said Johann Kindlein, SPOT product manager. A standard transrectal ultrasound probe with a patented rotational mover is used to acquire accurate images quickly under direct computer control. Reconstruction of the images allows instantaneous viewing of the 3D volume after the acquisition. Pre-Planning information is displayed in the 3D ultrasound image including the display of the virtual needles. The virtual needles provide guidance for the physician during the insertion of the real needles. This allows the physician to adapt needle and seed positioning during the implantation in the patient with display of immediate results". Nucletron has a well-established reputation as the first name in brachytherapy and a pioneer in RTP systems." New and unique DVH - features assist in immediate detection of overdosage and determination whether the reference isodose surface encompasses the target volume. These features are based on an established algorithm by Rob van der Laarse member of Nucletron's dedicated Brachytherapy Research & Development team. SPOT has been designed in collaboration with major cancer treatment centers in the United States, Canada and Europe. Nucletron B.V., with headquarters in Veenendaal, The Netherlands, is a worldwide leader in radiotherapy systems, and specializes in some of the most innovative products used for cancer treatment. The company has 11 offices worldwide, including its corporate headquarters in the Netherlands. Nucletron is the world leader in remote afterloading brachytherapy, supplying the majority of all systems worldwide. Nucletron B.V. is a subsidiary of Delft Instruments, an international group of companies with some 1100 employees and annual sales of almost NLG 400 million.