LYON, France, Oct. 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EDAP TMS SA (Nasdaq:EDAP), the global leader in therapeutic ultrasound, announced its recent participation at the Third International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound, which took place in Washington D.C. from October 14-17, 2012.
At the symposium, urologists with long-term Ablatherm-HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) experience participated in a panel discussion entitled, "Ultrasound vs. MRI as Guidance for Focused Ultrasound Treatment." As a speaker on the panel, Dr. Christian Chaussy, from Germany, outlined his experience using ultrasound guided Ablatherm-HIFU to treat prostate cancer. In a separate panel, entitled "Focused Ultrasound Treatment for Prostate Cancer – Controversies," Dr. Andreas Blana, from Germany, highlighted Ablatherm-HIFU's substantial clinical track record, with more than 32,000 prostate cancer treatments successfully performed.
The potential benefits of HIFU to treat other forms of cancer were also discussed at the symposium. Dr. David Melo de Lima of INSERM (The French Institute of Health and Medical Research), EDAP's long-term research partner, presented preliminary results on the clinical evaluation of HIFU to address metastatic liver cancer.
Marc Oczachowski, Chief Executive Officer of EDAP TMS, commented, "I am pleased to note the increasing interest in HIFU, as shown by the number of presentations on advances in research and development. Having long-term users of EDAP's Ablatherm-HIFU participate in the Symposium emphasizes our expertise in ultrasound guided HIFU. We believe this spotlight on the Company is a strong recognition of EDAP's leadership in the focused ultrasound space."
Mr. Oczachowski continued, "This annual symposium on focused ultrasound is a highly regarded event which gathers experts from the scientific, clinical, and regulatory communities. There is major progress being made in the field, and this event confirms the recognition of focused ultrasound as a further standard of care for the treatment of multiple pathologies."
About EDAP TMS SA
EDAP TMS SA develops and markets Ablatherm®, the most advanced and clinically proven choice for high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of localized prostate cancer. HIFU treatment is shown to be a minimally invasive and effective treatment option with a low occurrence of side effects. Ablatherm-HIFU is generally recommended for patients with localized prostate cancer (stages T1-T2) who are not candidates for surgery or who prefer an alternative option, or for patients who failed radiotherapy treatment. Approved in Europe as a treatment for prostate cancer, Ablatherm-HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) is currently undergoing evaluation in a multi-center U.S. Phase II/III clinical trial under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) granted by the FDA, the ENLIGHT U.S. clinical study. The Company also is developing this technology for the potential treatment of certain other types of tumors. EDAP TMS SA also produces and commercializes medical equipment (the Sonolith(R) range) for treatment of urinary tract stones using extra-corporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). For more information on the Company, please visit http://www.edap-tms.com, and http://www.hifu-planet.com.
About The Focused Ultrasound Foundation
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is a medical technology research, education and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of millions of people with serious medical disorders by accelerating the development and adoption of focused ultrasound. The Foundation is unique in that it supports development of improved treatment for a wide variety of diseases utilizing a platform technology that exerts multiple mechanisms of action.