Sirtex Supports the Fourth Annual Clinical Symposium on Liver-Directed Microsphere Therapy Dedicated to Advancing Treatments for Patients with Inoperable Metastatic Liver Cancer

WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sirtex, a leading developer of targeted and innovative cancer therapies, is pleased to once again provide an educational grant to support the fourth annual clinical symposium on liver-directed microsphere therapy titled “Radiomicrosphere Selective Internal Radiation Treatment.” The event, to be held May 2-3 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, is sponsored by the Goshen Center for Cancer Care in Goshen, Ind. Seza Gulec, M.D., F.A.C.S., director of the Goshen Cancer Institute Hepatic Oncology Program at Goshen Health System, will serve as symposium director. Sirtex manufactures SIR-Spheres® microspheres, the only FDA-approved microsphere therapy for colorectal cancer that metastasizes to the liver.¹

Each year more than 154,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Up to 60 percent of these patients will develop liver metastases and 90 percent will die from liver failure. The symposium will bring together the world’s leading liver cancer experts to discuss the techniques and late-breaking data regarding the use of microsphere therapy to treat advanced liver tumors and ultimately improve patient survival. Yttrium-90 microsphere therapy is a novel approach to treating liver cancer in that it selectively targets tumors with radiation while sparing the much needed healthy liver tissue.

“Sirtex is proud to support educational meetings such as the annual microsphere symposium,” says Dr. John Reddington, President of Sirtex Medical. “The discussions and interactions at these symposia have played a critical role in the advancement of SIR-Spheres microspheres and improving the care we provide to patients with liver tumors.”

The CME symposium is a two-day event that includes lectures, panel discussions and interactive case studies designed to expand the treating team’s technical knowledge and clinical skills. Participants will leave with a greater understanding and preparedness to effectively treat one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The symposium is also designed to help raise awareness of just how common metastatic liver cancer is both in the United States and globally.

Sirtex has supported the symposium since its inception in 2005. Sirtex’s involvement in these meetings illustrates the company’s ongoing commitment to educating and preparing physicians for the safe and effective use of the treatment.

For program details and registration, please visit www.microspheresymposium.com or call program coordinator Heather Atkinson at (574) 535-2918. Members of the media interested in attending the symposium may contact Andrea Moody at (919) 457-0743 or andrea.moody@fleishman.com.

¹ Sirtex Medical Inc.’s SIR-Spheres microspheres are indicated for the treatment of non-resectable metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with intra-arterial FUDR chemotherapy. Information regarding other disease states or agents in combination with this device that is presented in peer-reviewed literature is different from the approved USA labeling for SIR-Spheres.

About Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) using SIR-Spheres microspheres

Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) is a novel treatment for inoperable liver cancer that delivers high doses of radiation directly to the site of tumors. In a minimally-invasive treatment, millions of radioactive SIR-Spheres microspheres are infused via a catheter into the liver where they selectively target liver tumors with a dose of internal radiation up to 40 times higher than conventional radiotherapy, while sparing healthy tissue.

Clinical trials have confirmed that liver cancer patients treated with SIR-Spheres microspheres have response rates higher than with other forms of treatment, resulting in increased life expectancy, greater periods without tumor activity, and improved quality of life. SIRT has been found to shrink liver tumors more than chemotherapy alone.

SIR-Spheres microspheres are approved for use in Australia, the United States of America (FDA approval), and the European Union (CE Mark) and additionally supplied in countries such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Israel and Turkey with more than 7,500 patients having been treated to date.

For more information, visit www.sirtex.com.

® SIR-Spheres is a Registered Trademark of Sirtex SIR-Spheres Pty Ltd