Utility of BioZorb Surgical Marker Presented at International Breast Cancer Conference

In In The News by Barbara Jacoby

LLH network pressFrom: Dowling & Dennis Public Relations

Breast Surgeons Report Improved Visualization of Treatment Area for Radiation Therapy

The BioZorb™ three-dimensional surgical marker dramatically improves visualization of the treatment area for radiation planning and therapy, according to a presentation at the prestigious San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2013.

The scientific poster reports that the tissue marker is easy to place, safe to use and well tolerated by patients. In the presentation, a series of consecutive early-stage breast cancer patients was implanted with the device at the time of lumpectomy. The 3D BioZorb marker was reported to provide clinical advantages for surgeons and radiation oncologists.

“This device could represent a quantum leap in the ability to mark tissue for radiation treatment after surgery,” said Christopher Glaser, MD, FACS, the lead author on the poster presentation. Dr. Glaser and poster co-author John Falcone, MD, are surgeons at Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center and Owensboro Health Surgical Specialists, in Owensboro, Ky.

Targeted delivery of radiation therapy helps to prevent recurrence of cancer and is a vital part of breast conserving therapy, the authors note. Currently, there is no standardized, accurate method for marking the surgical site of tumor removal, which makes post-operative radiation planning difficult. Methods typically used for radiation planning may overestimate the volume of the treatment area, and may result in excess radiation exposure to normal tissues such as the heart and lungs, causing inadvertent complications.

“Our radiation oncologists love this thing,” said Glaser. Because the marker is placed directly into the surgical cavity at the time of tumor removal and sutured in place, it is very reliable. “The visual difference between BioZorb targeting and traditional methods of targeting is dramatic,” noted Dr. Glaser. The marker’s unique features make it easily visualized as a clear target site, helping to decrease the amount of breast and adjacent tissues exposed to radiation.

The unique open-spiral design of the BioZorb marker incorporates six permanent titanium clips in a fixed three-dimensional array and provides specific landmarks at the site of the excised tumor. This poster and other clinical presentations note that the BioZorb marker is useful for radiation treatment planning, patient positioning during treatment, and the ability to facilitate advanced methods of radiation treatment.

BioZorb has been used successfully in both the U.S. and New Zealand. It is made of a bioabsorbable material commonly used in other medical devices, and allows the patient’s body to absorb the material slowly, so it does not require surgical removal after treatments are completed.

BioZorb has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The device is available in a range of sizes to accommodate a variety of clinical situations.

About Focal Therapeutics

Focal Therapeutics is a medical device company based in Portola Valley, Calif. The company developed and manufactures the BioZorb tissue marker. Focal’s management team and investors include three medical device pioneers: George D. Hermann, the CEO; Gail S. Lebovic, MA, MD, FACS, the Chief Medical Officer; and investor Thomas J. Fogarty, MD. Together, they have played instrumental roles in the development of numerous commercially successful medical devices in women’s healthcare, including the Mammotome® breast biopsy technology (Devicor Medical Products, Inc.); the MammoPad® Breast Cushion (Hologic); and the SAVI® Applicator for radiation therapy (Cianna Medical). Dr. Lebovic has also served as President of the American Society of Breast Disease, and is Chair of the 2014 World Congress of Breast Healthcare, in Orlando, Florida.

The company’s BioZorb tissue marker is a proprietary bioabsorbable device that provides radiographic marking of soft tissue sites. The BioZorb device is placed at the time of surgical removal of tissue, such as during breast surgery, and the device’s three-dimensional array of marker elements has unique clinical utility for patient imaging. For more information about the company, call (U.S.) 650-530-2394 or email info@focalrx.com.