Minimally Invasive Treatment Offers Hope for Liver Cancer Patients

WALTHAM, Mass., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Data from Millennium Research Group's (MRG's) US Interventional Radiology (IR) Marketrack(TM) indicates that in 2007, over 85% of liver cancer treatments performed in IR suites used transcatheter chemoembolization, a procedure that delivers chemotherapy agents directly to a tumor through minimally invasive means.

Microsphere particles, including Boston Scientific's Contour SE, Biosphere Medical's Embosphere, and others, were used in 40% of these treatments. Overall, chemoembolization particles generated nearly 20% of total microsphere revenue. As such, chemoembolization procedures are a key segment in the overall embolic particle market, which, in addition to standard microspheres, includes drug-infused microspheres, selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) spheres, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles. MRG's US IR Marketrack(TM) service monitors the adoption of embolic particles for liver cancer, uterine fibroids, aneurysms, hemorrhages, and vascular anomalies.

"In chemoembolization, chemotherapy agents are mixed with embolic particles and are delivered through a catheter directly to the tumor, thereby localizing the chemo treatment" says Phil Scrutton, Analyst at MRG. "The particles also embolize the surrounding arteries, blocking blood flow to the cancerous tissue. This slows diffusion of the chemotherapy agents away from the tumor, which increases its effectiveness in targeting the liver tumor, while the embolization also deprives the tumor of oxygen and nutrients."

Liver cancer has historically had a poor prognosis, but the use of embolic particles in conjunction with drugs in chemoembolization, while not a cure, is leading to longer life expectancies for cancer sufferers. These positive clinical outcomes, the availability of improved embolization technologies, and an increasing rate of patient referrals for this treatment are all contributing to embolic particle market growth.

Millennium Research Group will be attending the Society of Interventional Radiology annual meeting in Washington, DC from March 16-19. Come to booth #304 to discover how we can help you meet your needs.

About Interventional Radiology Marketrack(TM)

IR Marketrack(TM) gathers quarterly data from interventional radiology labs throughout the US, including data on PV embolizations, varicose vein treatments, and vascular access procedures. Marketrack(TM) subscribers receive thousands of data points, including usage (units, average selling price, and revenue), procedure, competitor, and device brand information.

About Millennium Research Group

Millennium Research Group (www.MRG.net), a Decision Resources, Inc. company (www.DecisionResources.com), is the global authority on medical technology market intelligence and a leading provider of strategic information to the health care sector. Focused solely on the medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries, the company provides its clients with the benefits of its specialized industry expertise through published reports and customized consulting services.

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    For more information, contact:
    Amy Krohn
    Millennium Research Group
    416-364-7776 x101
    akrohn@mrg.net