RITA Medical Systems Announces Launch of Liver Cancer Patient Information Website
"We are very pleased to announce that LiverTumor.org is on line. This launch was one of our key goals for the year," commented Barry Cheskin, President and CEO of RITA. "We believe that this website will provide important and useful information for patients with liver cancer." Mr. Cheskin added that "Liver cancer is one of the most common and deadly forms of cancer in the world today, with around two million patients being diagnosed with primary or metastatic liver cancer each year."
Dr. Steven Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Surgery at the National Institute of Health/National Cancer Institute* in Bethesda, Maryland, who is the consulting editor of LiverTumor.org, commented, "I am pleased to be associated with this website. The information it provides is unique in its scope and quality. Surgical removal of liver tumors is considered to be the most effective treatment for liver cancer. Unfortunately, more than 70% of patients with liver cancer cannot have this surgery due to the size or location of the tumors or other health factors. In addition, most other treatment options are limited as well, since those options are often ineffective and are generally associated with significant side effects. Helping patients understand their treatment options as well as putting them in touch with medical professionals who can provide them with further guidance are the primary goals of LiverTumor.org. Patients with liver cancer as well as their families can hopefully benefit from accessing LiverTumor.org and I expect they will be able to make more informed decisions about their own treatment."
RITA Medical Systems develops, manufactures and markets innovative products for patients with solid cancerous or benign tumors. The proprietary RITA system uses radiofrequency energy to heat tissue to a high enough temperature to ablate it or cause cell death. The company has sold over 20,000 of its disposable devices throughout the world. While the company's current focus is on liver cancer, the company believes that its minimally invasive technology may in the future be applied to other types of tumors, including tumors of the lung, bone, breast, prostate and kidney. The company has received regulatory clearance in major markets worldwide, including the United States. In March 2000, RITA became the first radiofrequency ablation company to receive specific FDA clearance for unresectable liver lesions in addition to its previous general FDA clearance for the ablation of soft tissue.
The statements in this news release related to the company's plans to extend its technology to applications beyond the liver are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 and the company's Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2001.
* Dr. Rosenberg is a consulting editor in his personal capacity and not as a member of the National Cancer Institute.
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SOURCE RITA Medical Systems, Inc.
Web site: http: //www.ritamedical.com
CONTACT: Don Stewart, Chief Financial Officer of RITA Medical Systems, Inc., 650-314-3400, or dstewart@ritamed.com