Radiology Society of North America Issues Press Release Announcing Publication of Study of Treatment for Liver Cancer Using RITA Medical Systems Radiofrequency Ablation Products

Radiology Society of North America Issues Press Release Announcing Publication of Study of Treatment for Liver Cancer Using RITA Medical Systems Radiofrequency Ablation Products

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 16, 2005--

March Issue of Radiology Publishes Article: "Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Cirrhosis: Long-term Results

         of Percutaneous Image-guided Radiofrequency Ablation"

RITA Medical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:RITA) today announced that the Radiological Society of America (RSNA) has issued a press release highlighting a clinical study of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment for liver cancer in the March 2005 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Radiology.

WHAT: RSNA press release highlights RFA liver cancer study in
      March 2005 journal Radiology. The press release is entitled,
      "Radiologists Offer Non-Surgical Treatment for Early-Stage Liver
      Cancer."

WHEN: February 16, 2005

WHERE: The RSNA press release is available at
       http://www2.rsna.org/pr/target.cfm?ID=238 and the article
       abstract is available on the Radiology website,
       http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/.

MORE INFORMATION

The peer reviewed publication (available February 16, 2005) reports findings indicating that RFA offers an effective first-line treatment for some liver cancer patients who were excluded from surgery. The article, "Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Cirrhosis: Long-term Results of Percutaneous Image-guided Radiofrequency Ablation," reports that RFA provided long-term (5 year data) survival rates for liver cancer patients who are not surgical candidates that are comparable to results obtained with surgical resection in this type of patient.

Dr. Riccardo Lencioni and colleagues performed radiofrequency ablation using RITA Medical Systems radiofrequency electrodes on 187 early-stage liver cancer patients with cirrhosis who were not candidates for surgery. People with cirrhosis or Hepatitis B or C virus infections are at increased risk of developing liver cancer. Fewer than 5 percent of liver-cancer patients with cirrhosis qualify for surgical liver resection, and the liver donor shortage limits transplant availability.

97% percent of the patients survived one year, 71% survived three years, and 48% survived five years, which is comparable to results obtained with surgical resection in this type of patient. The results also indicate that radiofrequency ablation patient survival is dependent on the type of cirrhosis and the number of tumors present.

About RITA Medical Systems, Inc.

RITA Medical Systems develops, manufactures and markets innovative products for cancer patients including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) systems for treating cancerous tumors as well as percutaneous vascular and spinal access systems. The Company's oncology product lines include implantable ports, some of which feature its proprietary Vortex^® technology; tunneled central venous catheters; safety infusion sets and peripherally inserted central catheters used primarily in cancer treatment protocols. The proprietary RITA system uses radiofrequency energy to heat tissue to a high enough temperature to ablate it or cause cell death. In March 2000, RITA became the first RFA Company to receive specific FDA clearance for unresectable liver lesions in addition to its previous general FDA clearance for the ablation of soft tissue. In October 2002, RITA again became the first company to receive specific FDA clearance, this time, for the palliation of pain associated with metastatic lesions involving bone. The RITA Medical Systems website is at www.ritamedical.com.

The statements in this news release related to the results of studies and the use of the Company's technology are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Information regarding these risks is included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    CONTACT: RITA Medical Systems, Inc.
             Don Stewart or Stephen Pedroff, 650-314-3400
             dstewart@ritamed.com
             spedroff@ritamed.com
               or
             Allen & Caron Inc.
             Jill Bertotti, 949-474-4300 (investors)
             jill@allencaron.com
               or
             SurfMedia Communications
             Juliana Minsky, 805-962-3700 (media)
             jm@surfmedia.com

    SOURCE: RITA Medical Systems, Inc.