MDNews - San Antonio

" We at MagForce USA are very pleased to have the opportunity to conduct this important clinical trial with such outstanding urologists, such as Dr. Thompson Jr. and Dr. Thompson III of the Texas Urology Group and Dr. Liss of UT Health San Antonio. Our collective goal is to focally ablate identified prostate lesions using unique nanoparticles placed within the lesion. We plan for this study to show that we effectively ablate and have minimal side effects. We expect the clinical trial will prove that NanoTherm therapy will allow men diagnosed with intermediate-risk prostate cancer to have a higher quality of life, while delaying or even avoiding definitive treatments." — DR. BEN LIPPS, CEO OF MAGFORCE USA INC. Participants in the trial must be between ages 40 and 85 and have biopsy-confirmed prostate cancer. They also must not have had previous cancer treatments involving radiation, androgen deprivation or surgery; be in a concurrent clinica l tria l for prostate disease; have metallic implants below the neck; have an active urinary tract infection, significant prostate systems (I-PSS score greater than 20) or a hematological abnormality; or have a known hypersensitivity to the imaging agent used to detect and localize prostate cancer. Participants in the first phase of the clinical trials must also be planning to undergo radical prostatectomy; this surgery will be performed after the NanoTherm therapy takes place. This allows MagForce to evaluate the prostate pathologically and determine if the NanoTherm therapy was able to ablate the cancer cells without harming the surrounding tissue. For patients who are unable to pay for surgery, MagForce provides financial coverage for the treatment. "If we have a potentia l subject who does not have hea lth insurance or is not completely covered by his insurance, he can rest assured that we will cover all of the out-of-pocket costs of the prostatectomy," Hammond says. "That is in addition to transportation and hotel costs if they have to stay overnight." For the second and third phases of the clinical trials, MagForce will focus on participants who do not require a prostatectomy. Rather than having the whole prostate removed, participants will instead receive a biopsy five and 12 months after receiving NanoTherm therapy to see if the ablation was effective. THE FUTURE OF CANCER TREATMENT If approved, NanoTherm therapy will offer men an active treatment that may potentially have fewer risks and side effects. "It has the potentia l to signif icantly change the way we treat prostate cancer, because it allows for a less invasive, less aggressive treatment modality that could cure the cancer or, at a minimum, reduce a patient's chances of needing a more aggressive treatment in the future," Dr. Thompson III says. "About 30,000 men die of prostate cancer every year. With NanoTherm therapy, we hope we can continue to reduce those numbers while avoiding the cost of surgery or radiation for some of those men." While the implications of these trials are vast, Jordan says treating prostate cancer is only the first step. As evidenced by its use in the European Union as a treatment for brain cancer, NanoTherm therapy has the potential to treat other forms of cancer, as well. " We are starting with foca l ablation therapy in the U.S. from a base of years of clinical experience and studies on the effectiveness of nanotechnology-based therapy against multiple types of cancer," Jordan says. "NanoTherm therapy can be used to treat any localized tumor regardless of its location, because the magnetic field has no limitations. As with radiation, it has the potential to be used universally." For more information about MagForce, call 833-287-1150 or visit magforcestudy.com. n 0 8

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