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1000th prostate cancer patient treated with IsoCord(R) at Kuopio University Hospital, Finland

Berlin, 09.11.2005. Yesterday, the 1000th prostate cancer patient was treated with the low radioactive implant IsoCord(R) at Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. The so-called seed implantation or seed brachytherapy features miniaturized titanium capsules filled with radioactive iodine-125 which are minimally invasive implanted into the prostate. Kuopio University Hospital is the most experienced center in the Nordic countries offering seed implantation for prostate cancer. "The seed implantation is an excellent method for treating early prostate carcinoma. Therefore we have offered it since August 1999" explains Dr. Vesa Kataja, Chief of Radiotherapy at the Department of Oncology, Kuopio University Hospital. "Brachytherapy with radioactive seed implantation has become a standard procedure with approximately 100 new patients treated per year in our hospital", adds Dr. Sirpa Aaltomaa, Head of Urology at Kuopio University Hospital.

Compared with radical prostatectomy, this therapy shows comparable long term results in prospective trials for early prostate carcinoma but with much lower side effects. Moreover the product design of the IsoCord(R) seed chain (strand) offers optimal implant characteristics. "We have chosen IsoCord(R) from BEBIG because the positioning of the implant inside the prostate is more accurate and reliable than with other strands we have tested. The new seed even provides high contrast X-ray imaging," says Dr. Tapani Lahtinen, Head Physicist at the Department of Oncology at Kuopio University Hospital. Until 2004 Kuopio University Hospital used RapidStrand(R) from Oncura and since the beginning of this year switched completely to IsoCord(R) from BEBIG.

The recently introduced new generation of IsoCord(R) optimizes the X-ray visibility, offering now ideal characteristics for all seed application techniques. The new seeds can also be clearly identified on MR images opening new perspectives on post-implant dosimetry. In Europe 135.000 men are afflicted annually by this kind of cancer. In the US 30 % of the prostate cancer patients are treated with brachytherapy. Centers offering brachytherapy with IsoCord(R) seed in Europe can be found at www.bebig.de.

BEBIG Isotopen- und Medizintechnik GmbH is a subsidiary of the listed Eckert & Ziegler AG (ISIN DE0005659700) and the only European full service provider for brachytherapy equipment.

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