iCAD Reports Use Of Xoft® Axxent® Electronic Brachytherapy System In The Treatment Of More Than 15,000 Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Lesions

iCAD, Inc.

, an industry leading provider of advanced image analysis, workflow solutions and radiation therapy for the early identification and treatment of cancer, today announced that the company's Xoft® Axxent® Electronic Brachytherapy (eBx®) System has been used in the treatment of more than 15,000 non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) lesions. An analysis of the 7,000 lesions collected through the Xoft System's Axxent Hub cloud-based software shows that the average age of patients treated is 74.9 years, indicating that clinicians are treating an age-appropriate group of patients for whom this technology represents an advantageous treatment option. "NMSC continues to be a global health problem and is now the most common type of cancer diagnosed in the United States with an estimated 3.5 million new cases each year.i Based on the available and expanding body of literature demonstrating that this therapy is safe and effective for appropriate patients, we are working to make sure that both patients and clinicians have the comprehensive and accurate information they need about the benefits of eBx," said Ken Ferry, CEO of iCAD. He added, "Xoft has also been a leader in the effort to establish new CPT codes specifically for use of eBx in the treatment of NMSC, which are expected to be implemented in January 2016." While National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines suggest that the standard of care in treatment of NMSC is Mohs surgery, several considerations can make eBx with the Xoft System an important option to achieve positive results for many patients. Factors that may support the use of eBx include treatment of lesions in anatomically challenging locations such as the face, head or neck, medical conditions that contribute to difficulties in wound healing or other medical comorbidities that may preclude patients from surgery, treatment with anticoagulants or with pacemakers, risk of scarring, and patient preference. In recent years, researchers have conducted extensive clinical research on the use of brachytherapy, including several studies of the use of eBx with the Xoft System to treat NMSC. To date, research on use of the Xoft System in NMSC has involved more than 1,200 patients and 1,700 lesions. The control rates of NMSC after HDR eBx cited are consistently very high (>95%), excellent cosmesis, low toxicity and minimal long-term side effects for appropriate patients. In October 2015, Ajay Bhatnagar, MD, MBA, medical director of 21st Century Oncology of Arizona, presented updated data from an ongoing clinical study of early-stage NMSC patients who were treated with the Xoft System and followed up to five years. Among 200 patients with a mean average age of 77 years who had a total of 297 lesions and were treated with the Xoft System, researchers reported only one recurrence of cancer to date with a mean follow up of 16.5 months. "Treatment of NMSC with eBx using surface applicators resulted in excellent local control (99%) and good to excellent cosmesis up to five years post treatment," according to Dr. Bhatnagar. "In addition to its proven efficacy, many patients are also pleased to have a painless and non-invasive treatment option that results in little to no scarring and allows them to return to their normal daily activities immediately."