RITA Medical Systems to Unveil StarBurst(TM) XLi At Annual Radiology Conference

Newest Radiofrequency Ablation System Destroys Larger Tumors Faster

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- RITA Medical Systems, Inc., (Nasdaq: RITA), a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets minimally invasive products to treat patients with solid cancerous or benign tumors, today announced the introduction of the StarBurst^™ XLi System, its newest radiofrequency ablation system, with substantially expanded capabilities, including the capacity to destroy larger liver tumors faster. The system is currently being used by physicians in medical centers around the country.

The StarBurst XLi will be unveiled at the annual conference of the Radiology Society of North America to be held November 25-30 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL. The conference will showcase all of RITA Medical Systems' products, which enable physicians to deliver radiofrequency electrodes into cancerous tumors through a thin probe, often without open surgery or the need for a general anesthetic. The electrodes heat and effectively destroy, or ablate, the targeted area.

The StarBurst XLi is the next generation of the Company's proven, proprietary StarBurst technology and can ablate a tissue volume of up to 7 centimeters in diameter, about the size of a tennis ball. The StarBurst XLi uses the Company's proprietary Micro-Infusion technology to deliver tiny drops of fluid to the tips of the radiofrequency electrodes to aid in the ablation process. This product is designed to provide a large, scalable, spherical ablation, thereby reducing or potentially eliminating the need for overlapping ablations and effectively minimizing the time it takes to perform the procedure. The StarBurst XLi system also offers physicians immediate, real-time multipoint temperature feedback that enables physicians to be certain that the targeted tissue has reached a high enough temperature to kill or destroy it.

"The StarBurst XLi is the most advanced version of our proven technology designed to target some of the most deadly cancers in existence," said Barry Cheskin, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We can now destroy a 7 centimeter volume of tissue, which is 2-3 times larger than the limit of our previous generation technology, and can also destroy tissue 2-3 times faster for a given volume."

Cheskin added that the Company's radiofrequency products represent a platform technology that has the potential to address a wide variety of benign and cancerous tumors.

"While we currently target unresectable liver lesions, promising clinical studies on the use of our technology in lung, breast and bone cancers are currently underway," Cheskin said.

About RITA Medical Systems, Inc.

RITA Medical Systems, Inc., 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 30,000 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 quarters ended March 31, 2001, June 30, 2001 and September 30, 2001.

For further information, please contact investors, Matt Clawson, matt@allencaron.com, or media, Len Hall, len@allencaron.com, both of Allen & Caron Inc., +1-949-474-4300, for RITA Medical Systems, Inc.; or Donald Stewart, Chief Financial Officer of RITA Medical Systems, Inc., +1-650-314-3511.

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SOURCE RITA Medical Systems, Inc.
Web site: http: //www.ritamedical.com
CONTACT: investors, Matt Clawson, matt@allencaron.com, or media, Len Hall, len@allencaron.com, both of Allen & Caron Inc, +1-949-474-4300, for RITA Medical Systems, Inc.; or Donald Stewart, Chief Financial Officer of RITA Medical Systems, Inc., +1-650-314-3511