Universities to Help Test New Prostate Detection Technology

ST. LOUIS
Ten major hospitals, along with top university medical school programs, will test a new FDA-approved prostate diagnostic and treatment device in the hopes of achieving earlier detection of prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Biopsy Study will use the TargetScan Bendable Needle and Guide System, which is capable of identifying cancer in the first biopsy, versus conventional techniques, which can leave cancer undetected for up to three biopsies.

The participating schools include the Washington University School of Medicine; New York University School of Medicine; the University of Texas Southwestern Medical College; University of California at San Francisco; University of Southern California - Norris Cancer Center; Vanderbilt University Medical Center; and the University of Michigan.
The 900-patient clinical study will compare TargetScan’s biopsy results to clinical outcomes derived from current biopsy methods. A previous pilot study, conducted in May 2005 at Washington University in St. Louis, found that TargetScan biopsy samples better predict Gleason scores (a commonly used prostate cancer grading system) compared to traditional biopsy techniques — promoting more accurate and earlier identification of cancer. The study also concluded that TargetScan’s ability to conduct repeatable biopsies could significantly impact the success of new cancer-treatment deliveries.

Following the current clinical evaluation, TargetScan’s developer, St. Louis-based Envisioneering Medical Technologies, expects to commercially launch the device for clinical use.

“We heard the industry’s call for a better biopsy strategy to provide patients with conclusive test results from the first biopsy,” says Robert G. Mills, Envisioneering president. “With this study, we are one step closer to offering physicians and patients an effective means for the early detection of prostate cancer.”