DFINE, Inc. of San Jose, CA has announced first human use of its recently FDA-cleared STAR system for percutaneous Targeted RadioFrequency Ablation (t-RFA). Designed specifically for spinal tumor ablation, the device is currently being introduced to a limited number of hospitals and a full market release is scheduled for autumn of this year.
The first case was conducted at the University of Louisville Hospital/James Graham Brown Cancer Center.
Because RF energy does not directly stimulate nerves or muscles, as do other types of energy delivering devices, RF ablation therapies have been effectively used to treat soft tissue diseases in the heart, lungs, kidneys, breast, liver, and various other sites throughout the body.
The STAR System, using t-RFA, is a dramatic step forward in the palliative treatment of metastatic spinal tumors of vertebral bodies. Unlike other currently available ablation tools designed for soft tissue, the STAR System was developed specifically to treat metastatic spine tumors.
The benefits of t-RFA using the STAR System include:
- Minimally invasive procedure that can be performed on an outpatient basis and requires only a small surgical incision
- Designed to ablate the patient’s vertebral body lesion with the intent to provide palliative pain relief
- May minimize delay in systemic therapy (i.e. chemotherapy) of the primary cancer.
- Potentially minimizes vertebral body damage due to radiation-related bone fragility, and the overall effects of radiation, including resistance, alopecia, xerostomia and nausea.
Press release: DFINE ANNOUNCES FIRST U.S. PATIENT TREATED WITH THE STAR™ ABLATION SYSTEM…
Product page: STAR Tumor Ablation System…
