FREMONT, Calif., July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Xoft, Inc., developer of the Axxent(TM) Electronic Brachytherapy System, announced that six studies have been accepted for presentation at the 48th American Association of Physicists in Medicine Meeting, July 30 - August 3 in Orlando. The presentations join a growing body of research demonstrating the ability of Electronic Brachytherapy to accurately and consistently deliver the therapeutic dose as predicted though treatment planning.
Xoft is also hosting a technology symposium in conjunction with the AAPM Meeting. Titled “Using Xoft’s Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System in the Clinic,” the panel of leading medical physicists will focus on how to incorporate the breakthrough technology into routine clinical practice for the treatment of breast cancer. Since receiving FDA clearance for the Axxent System, Xoft has worked with radiation oncologists, physicists, and breast surgeons at nine clinical sites to continue physics quality assurance measurements, product refinements, and validation.
“Electronic Brachytherapy represents a dramatically new way to deliver radiation therapy, which is why educational events such as the Xoft Symposium are crucial to help radiation oncology professionals familiarize themselves with its advantages and what they need to integrate it into their treatment armamentarium,” said Mark J. Rivard, PhD, Associate Professor and Chief Medical Physicist, Department of Radiation Oncology, Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston.
The Company also announced that it has completed a $30 million commercialization round of financing, securing the final $10 million. These funds will enable Xoft to expand the APBI market for Electronic Brachytherapy by enhancing several market development projects already underway. Funding will also accelerate the Company’s ability to build a radiation oncology platform by applying the technology to additional disease states, including a targeted effort in gynecological cancer and the possible application of Electronic Brachytherapy to other proliferative diseases.
“With six more studies accepted for presentation at AAPM, the scientific support and validation of our Electronic Brachytherapy technology continues to grow stronger,” said Michael Klein, president and CEO, Xoft, Inc. “It is with this continued support and validation in mind that we are working diligently to scale our facilities, operations, and overall infrastructure to ensure we are poised to meet increasing market demand and continue development work on future products.”
Electronic Brachytherapy is a proprietary platform designed to deliver non-radioactive, isotope-free radiation treatment in a minimally-shielded clinical setting under the supervision of a radiation oncologist. The Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System uses disposable micro-miniature X-ray radiation sources to deliver ionizing radiation treatment directly to tumor beds. In its first indication for use, the Axxent System can be used to deliver a course of radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer. It gives radiation oncologists the flexibility to deliver radiation treatment while at the same time eliminating the need for heavily shielded environments so that it can be used in a broader range of clinical settings. This may accelerate patient choice of breast sparing lumpectomy surgery with adjuvant radiation therapy over the alternative of a full mastectomy.
Used to treat cancer for more than 100 years, radiation therapy is administered after breast-sparing surgery to kill any stray cancer cells that might remain in the breast and is proven to reduce the rate of local recurrences and improve long-term survival. Ample data from several randomized controlled clinical studies has demonstrated that radiation therapy is an essential component of treatment for breast cancer when the patient wishes to conserve her breast with lumpectomy surgery as opposed to undergoing a full mastectomy. More recent studies also have shown that many patients opt out of receiving radiation therapy due to time, distance, or difficulty accessing radiation therapy centers.
About Xoft, Inc.
Xoft is developing leading-edge new technologies for the practice of radiation oncology through Electronic Brachytherapy, which utilizes proprietary miniaturized X-ray tube technology. The Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System, Xoft’s first treatment system, is designed for use in Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation for the treatment of early stage breast cancer. This solution provides a therapeutic dose of intracavitary radiation directly to the region at risk without the complex handling and resource logistics necessary when performing brachytherapy using radioactive isotopes.
NOTE: Axxent is a trademark of Xoft, Inc.
Xoft, Inc.
CONTACT: Chris K. Joseph of CKJ Communications, +1-510-339-2293, orchris@ckjcomm.com, for Xoft, Inc.
Web site: http://www.xoftmicrotube.com//
