Medtronic plc. Ordinary Shares (NYSE:MDT)’s subsidiary, Medtronic Canada, has disclosed that the OsteoCool RF Ablation System has been licensed in Canada and subsequently launched. For patients suffering from painful bone metastases, the OsteoCool RF Ablation System is the only one of its kind that provides dual-probe and simultaneous capabilities as it offers treatment that is customized and predictable as well as procedural flexibility. In order to get to the cancer cells, this system makes use of high-frequency energy.
Metastatic bone disease
Last year, a little over 200,000 Canadians were diagnosed with cancer. The occurrence of the metastatic bone disease is in approximately between 60% and 80% of cancer patients. More often than not, it occurs in patients suffering from primary malignancies of the lung, liver, prostate and breast. In 70% of the bone cancer patients with metastases, there is the development of, at the minimum, one spine lesion.
The OsteoCool RF Ablation System is the best option in situations where patients suffering from painful bone tumors have tried other conventional therapies but it hasn’t worked for them. This could be because these conventional therapies might be too slow-acting, ineffective or they may be causing side effects that are unacceptable.
“Osteocool Radiofrequency Ablation provides a minimally invasive option for the treatment of painful bone metastases and is particularly useful in patients that have not responded well to other treatment modalities,” EFW Radiology’s Roy Park said.
Acquired technology
OsteoCool technology was not developed by Medtronic Plc but the intellectual property was acquired two years ago from Baylis Medical. Medtronic, however, collaborated with Baylis Medical in order to make innovations and improvements to the system. Baylis Medical is still involved in the manufacture of the device in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada though.
The OsteoCool RF Ablation System is temperature-controlled using water so that in the course of the procedure overheating of the surrounding tissue does not occur. Since a pair of the OsteoCool RF Ablation System can be used concurrently, ablation can be carried out in a variety of ways to accommodate the needs and preferences of the patient.
On Thursday shares of Medtronic Plc rose by 1.21% to close the day at $83.13.
