Combination of Landmark Internal Radiation Therapy and da Vinci Robotics Represents Paradigm Shift in Early Stage Lung Cancer Treatment

RICHLAND, Wash., Jul 12, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — IsoRay, Inc. ISR +7.37% announced another milestone, today, in the use of its proprietary Cesium-131 (Cs-131) brachytherapy seeds (internal radiation therapy) in mesh. Dr. Deepak Khuntia, known as one of the nation’s leading thought leaders in lung and brain tumors, performed the world’s first implant of Cesium-131 mesh brachytherapy in an early stage lung cancer patient using the da Vinci(R) Surgical System. Dr. Khuntia and the surgical team performed the surgery at El Camino Hospital in California.

For many patients with stage 1 lung cancer, treatment options are severely limited. Typically, extensive surgery is performed, removing the entire cancerous lung or one of five lobes of the lung. However, this surgery is not an option for patients with limited breathing capacity and health problems that impact normal breathing. The alternative option is a limited surgical procedure to remove the tumor mass from a lobe, leaving these patients with a 20 to 40 percent chance of their cancer recurring along the surgical repair line. With Cesium-131 mesh brachytherapy, Dr. Khuntia says the odds shift in the patient’s favor, “Mesh brachytherapy can dramatically reduce the recurrence rate for early-stage lung-cancer patients. With brachytherapy, recurrence is just one percent. That’s a significant difference. At the same time, patients receive significantly less radiation exposure than traditional radiation.” Using the da Vinci robot to implant the Cesium-131 mesh brachytherapy further reduces radiation exposure for physicians and adds a new level of safety for patients, who benefit from a smaller incision and quicker recovery.