There have been a lot of firsts at the Maryland Proton Center. First Proton Center in the region; First center to offer both Hyperthermia + Protons at the same facility; and now they are experiencing an another First by treating their 2000th patient!
In their press release, the University states that "just three years after opening its doors, the Maryland Proton Treatment Center (MPTC) has reached a major milestone by treating its 2,000th patient. MPTC is the first proton treatment center to open in the District/Maryland/Virginia region. It is also the only treatment center in the world that offers both proton and thermal therapies in one facility". See the complete press release.
A key figure in the success of the thermal oncology department, Dr. Zeljko Vujaskovic, not only advocates for patients under his care; but continues to share his knowledge, research and advancements in thermal oncology as he travels the globe as a featured speaker at medical conferences. For Pyrexar Medical, it is a privilege to be associated with such an important group of professionals, researchers, and practitioners of thermal oncology.
Take a Virtual Tour of the BSD-2000
Take a virtual visit to the Thermal Oncology department at the University of Maryland and the BSD-2000 Deep Regional Hyperthermia System. [Note: Hold down the mouse key to move the camera, click to move around the room and use the mouse wheel to zoom
University of Maryland Thermal Oncology School CME course held at the Maryland Proton Center in Baltimore, MD
The educational team included (left to right) JW Snider, MD; Paul Stauffer; Dario Rodrigues, PhD; Jason Molitoris, MD, PhD; Mariana Guerrero,PhD; John Hayes,MD; and Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, Phd
Participants from the U.S., Poland, South Korea and key hospitals in the U.S. attended the 2-day lecture and workshop
Professor Stauffer, from Thomas Jefferson University, discusses Treatment Planning and Execution
Dr. Rodrigues demonstrates temperature probe placement in a phantom on the BSD-2000
Dr. Guerrero (UMMC) with Mr. Stauffer (Thomas Jefferson) demonstrate the operation of the BSD-500 Superficial/Interstitial Hyperthermia system.
Participants discuss the operation of the BSD-2000 Deep Regional Hyperthermia System
The thermal oncology staff at the University of Maryland use lasers for reliable, repeatable patient positioning
Doctors' Biswal and Rodriques discuss operational safety and RF field management
Using a phantom to simulate temperature management on the BSD-500
South Korean delegation at the Maryland Proton Center
The course drew an international crowd including physicians from South Korea, Poland, and Japan, as well as prominent cancer centers here in the U.S. From the feedback we received, this was a five-star educational program, valuable to any member of a thermal oncology team. Topics covered all aspects of practice management, patient treatment, physics, and workflow. Practice managers shared how adding thermal oncology to their services increased overall service revenue by over 19%. This is important for centers that would like to add hyperthermia systems but require cost justification to receive purchase approval.
Based on the higher than expected turnout and the response from the participants, we expect this to be offered again in 2020.
Pyrexar Medical will be an exhibiting sponsor of the PTCOG-NA (Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group - North America) in Miami, Florida, October 14-16. This is our first participation in this annual event. Our interest in proton therapy was peaked after reading a 2014 article published in the International Journal of Hyperthermia by Prof. Dr. Niloy Datta exploring proton therapy and hyperthermia.
Since then, Pyrexar placed a BSD-2000 Deep Regional Hyperthermia System at the University of Maryland Proton Center. This is the first installation in the world to offer both a proton therapy system and hyperthermia system under the same roof. This installation, along with further clinical study, will move us closer to understanding the relationship of protons combined with focused heating.
For more information on attending the upcoming PTCOG-NA conference, follow the link.
In the last few weeks, Pyrexar products were being presented at conferences in Warsaw, Poland; Miami, Florida; Barcelona, Spain; and Münster, Germany. So thankful for our great partners educating oncologists and physicists, all over the world, to the benefits of hyperthermia in the treatment of cancer. We wanted to share a few images of these events with you.
This was our first time at the SEOR (Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology) in Spain, represented by our distributor Magna Medic Systems based in Málaga, Spain. The organization has been making tremendous strides in the introduction of hyperthermia to oncologists in the region.
This was Pyrexar's first engagement at the ABS (American Brachytherapy Society). Our goal was to demonstrate that adding hyperthermia as an adjunct to brachytherapy boosted the effectiveness of this radiotherapy treatment without interrupting workflow. It was an excellent show and we will be back next year.
Pyrexar was represented by our distribution partner Magna Medic Systems at the XX Congreso SEOR in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
The Sociedad Española de Oncología Clínica (Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology) is an association of more than 1000 specialists from Spain (including doctors in training) whose work is developed primarily in the treatment of cancer through the use of ionizing radiation. The annual meeting is an excellent opportunity to share ideas and data from around the world.
Earlier this year, Magna Medic placed a BSD-500 Superficial Hyperthermia unit at the Clinica Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. The facility boasts a 135 bed, 225,000 sqft facility with 8 specialty surgical suites to support cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, general surgery, and traumatology. Clinica Sagrada currently performs over 12,000 surgeries per year.
We are very thankful for the hard work the Magna Medic team has done to bring hyperthermia to Spain.
This is our first time exhibiting at the conference and we believe we have a compelling solution to offer. HDR (high dose rate) brachytherapy and hyperthermia share some of the same market challenges. The bottom line is that brachytherapy plus hyperthermia improve cancer patient outcomes.
Like hyperthermia, brachytherapy is a sub-specialty that requires a specific skill set to treat patients. And like hyperthermia, brachytherapy is known to produce increased tumor control without an increase in toxicity. Product planning for hyperthermia is very similar and the system utilizes the existing brachy catheters placed during HDR.
This month the 33rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO 2019), will be held in Warsaw, Poland, at the Warsaw Plaza Hotel, on May 22 - 24, 2019. The conference invites thermal oncology professionals with the extensive clinical and scientific experience to share their experience in the field.
Pyrexar Medical will be represented by our European distribution partner Dr. Sennewald Medizintechnik and Poland distributor HT Systems.
Pyrexar Represented by:
The conference includes over 58 presentations by leading hyperthermia experts. Highlights below:
MR thermometry validation and modeling of a 915 MHz annular phased-array in brain phantoms
Paul Turner
A meta-analysis of clinical trials with hyperthermia
Niloy Datta
Protons and hyperthermia: early clinical results
Zeljko Vujaskovic
Building an international forum to boost hyperthermic research
Stephan Bodis
Quality assurance guidelines for hyperthermia
H. Dobsicek Trefna
Quality assurance assessment: are commercial MR-guided deep-pelvic hyperthermia devices ready for a large clinical trial?
Sergio Curto
QA techniques for radiative deep hyperthermia systems: benefits and limitations of 1D, 2D, and 3D techniques
Gerard van Rhoon
Combined interstitial radiotherapy with interstitial hyperthermia
Andrzej Kukielka
Thermochemoradiotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancers: A pilot study
Niloy Datta
Radiotherapy in combination with regional Hyperthermia for Salvage Treatment in refractory Childhood Cancer
Pyrexar Medical would like to congratulate Ruediger Wessalowski, MD and Chris Diederich, Ph.D. for the recent honors awarded them at this year's Society for Thermal Medicine annual conference held in Florida last week.
Dr. Ruediger Wessalowski was awarded the prestigious J. Eugene Robinson Award. The J. Eugene Robinson Award is presented each year to an investigator who has made outstanding contributions to hyperthermic oncology. Dr. Wessalowski practices at the Clinic for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Oncology at the Heinrich-Heine-University (HHU) located in Düsseldorf, Germany. He is honored for his work in pioneering caring and innovative cancer treatment solutions for children and his continuing advacements of hyperthermia best practices. HHU uses the Pyrexar BSD-500, BSD-2000 and the BSD-2000 3D/MR Hyperthermia systems.
Chris Diederich, Ph.D. was honored with the George M. Hahn Award. The George M. Hahn Award is presented every other year to an investigator whose research has contributed in a significant way to new clinical applications in thermal therapy. Professor Diederich is the Director of Clinical Hyperthermia Physics and Thermal Therapy Research at the University of California, San Francisco. The Pyrexar BSD-500 and BSD-2000 hyperthermia systems are in practice at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
About STM Founded in 1986, the Society of Thermal Medicine is a premier, international scientific forum for fostering interaction and innovation in the study of biological, physical and medical applications of thermal therapy for cancer and other diseases and for facilitating a greater basic understanding of the role of temperature in cellular and molecular function.
Dr. Sennewald Medizintechnik, Pyrexar's European distribution partner, has brought together an impressive program of clinicians to talk about hyperthermia's role in the treatment of cancer, at this years ESTRO 38 (European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology). The luncheon symposium titled "Hyperthermia in the age of personalized oncology" will be held Saturday, April 27th and is open to all ESTRO attendees (space is limited).
Program outline below:
Introduction
Daniel Zips, UMC Tübingen, Germany
Hyperthermia as immune modulator in multimodal tumor therapies - immune biological rationale
Michael Hader, PhD, UMC Erlangen, Germany
Integration of Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy and Hyperthermia: The University of Maryland Clinical Experience
Zeljko Vujaskovic MD, University of Maryland, USA
Management of locally recurrent Breast Cancers with local hyperthermia and radiotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Niloy Datta MD, Canton Hospital Aarau, Switzerland
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with regional deep hyperthermia as the new standard for the treatment of patients with high-risk soft tissue sarcomas
Lars Lindner MD, UMC Munich Grosshadern, Germany
Hyperthermia and preoperative chemoradiation for organ-preservation in rectal cancer patients
Cihan Gani MD, UMC Tübingen, Germany
Discussion and Summary
Stephan Bodis MD, Canton Hospital Aarau, Switzerland
ABOUT ESTRO
Founded in 1980, ESTRO, the European SocieTy for Radiotherapy & Oncology, is a non-profit and scientific organization that fosters the role of Radiation Oncology in order to improve patients’ care in the multimodality treatment of cancer. ESTRO 38 is being held in Milan, Italy, April 26th - 30th, 2019 at the Milan Convention Center.
It is a busy Spring for Pyrexar at the upcoming Conference Events in the US and Europe. These conferences are a gathering of the best in radiation oncology and hyperthermia experts and an excellent resource for those interested in the field of thermal oncology. We will be exhibiting, either directly or via our distribution partners, at the following events
The 36th Annual Meeting of the Society for Thermal Medicine, 33rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology, 20th Congress of the Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology, and the 2019 American Brachytherapy Society Annual Meeting will provide an arena for presentations of latest data, concepts, and breakthroughs in our ever-expanding understanding radiation oncology and thermal medicine in the context of engineering, physics, materials science, and biology.
It has been four years since we acquired the hyperthermia division from BSD Medical and started Pyrexar Medical. In addition to getting the technology rights to this life-changing technology; we also acquired a group of great, hardworking people. Pyrexar may be only celebrating year four, but we do this sitting atop four decades of drive, innovation and the desire to give those that are battling cancer, a greater chance at disease-free survival.
We are looking toward achieving great strides in this next year. With that, we have many people to thank, and that includes you. Thank you to all of our supporters, partners, researchers, physicians, physicists, radiation therapists, nurses and administrative staff around the world. To those that continue to believe in the bright future of hyperthermia, and to those who demand the best outcomes for their patients.
Ascension is the largest Catholic health system in the world and the largest non-profit health system in the United States with facilities in 23 states and the District of Columbia. It is a faith-based collaboration of hospitals, medical practices, and innovators that shares best practices and the objective of developing healthier communities throughout the United States by community outreach and researching means of reducing the cost of healthcare.
North Macomb Radiation Oncology Center is located in Macomb Township, Michigan, on the campus of Ascension- St. John Hospital Health Center. They are dedicated to providing their patients with the very best in Radiation Oncology services by combining personalized, compassionate care with our extensive clinical experience and cutting edge therapies. In alignment with there treatment goals, the center has added a BSD-500 Superficial/Interstitial hyperthermia system to aid in the treatment of cancer.
This facility has treated not only patients with common cancers such as breast, prostate, and lung, but also many patients with relatively uncommon cancers such as cancer of the head and neck, lymphoma and gynecological cancers. Amr Aref, M.D., is the Chief of Radiation Oncology for St. John Providence East Region and one of the most experienced radiation oncologists in the Metro Detroit area. Dr. Aref has a special interest in breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and malignant lymphomas and given presentations of his work in those areas at national and international meetings, and they were published in peer-reviewed medical journals.
To find out more about the thermal oncology program at the center, please use the contact link here.
Clinical Hyperthermia Practice Guidelines Workshop The goal of this workshop is to provide practical training for hyperthermia therapy personnel, including physicians, nurses, radiation therapists, and physicists. All speakers have clinical experience in their fields. Lectures from well-known experts on clinical, physics, and biology of hyperthermia will provide participants a comprehensive overview of practice guidelines to deliver safe and effective hyperthermia treatments. This multi-disciplinary workshop will also include talks on clinical workflow and reimbursement. The workshop is the first of its kind organized by STM and is open to STM2019 participants of all thermal therapy backgrounds.
Title
Speaker
How to Establish a Hyperthermia Program
Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD
Practice Guidelines for Superficial Hyperthermia
Jason K. Molitoris, MD
Practice Guidelines for Deep Hyperthermia
Mark Hurwitz, MD
Practice Guidelines for Interstitial Hyperthermia
John Hayes, MD
Equipment, Planning, and Execution of Microwave Superficial Hyperthermia Treatment
Paul Stauffer, MSEE, CCE
Equipment, Planning, and Execution of RF Deep Hyperthermia Treatment
Dario B. Rodrigues, PhD
Assessment of Hyperthermia Treatments based on Hypoxia Imaging
Mark Dewhirst, DVM, PhD
Clinical Workflow, Documentation and Reimbursement of Hyperthermia Treatments
Siteman Cancer Center now offering superficial and interstitial hyperthermia, using the Pyrexar Medical BSD-500, to their cancer patients. The cancer center is located at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital within the Washington University Medical Center complex in the Central West End area of St. Louis, Missouri.
Although the system will be utilized to treat a variety of indications, Dr. Imran Zoberi, Chief of Hyperthermia Service and Clinical Director of Radiation Oncology at Barnes-Jewish, is targeting recurrent chest wall tumors. Treatment issues for recurrent breast cancer include radiation dosage limitations, post-surgical skin folds, scaring and lesions that can make this form of recurrent breast cancer a challenge to treat. Dr. Zoberi, along with William Straube, Research Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, have been long-time users of hyperthermia as an adjunct to radiotherapy. The new BSD-500 has replaced a retired Labthermics Sonotherm 1000.
According to a randomized phase III clinical trial (Jones study) published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and conclusions of a meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, adding hyperthermia to radiation therapy can potentially double complete response over using radiation alone in recurrent breast cancer.
Dr. Ruediger Wessalowski was awarded the prestigious J. Eugene Robinson Award. The J. Eugene Robinson Award is presented each year to an investigator who has made outstanding contributions to hyperthermic oncology. Dr. Wessalowski practices at the Clinic for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Oncology at the 
Chris Diederich, Ph.D. was honored with the George M. Hahn Award. The George M. Hahn Award is presented every other year to an investigator whose research has contributed in a significant way to new clinical applications in thermal therapy. Professor Diederich is the Director of Clinical Hyperthermia Physics and Thermal Therapy Research at the University of California, San Francisco. The Pyrexar BSD-500 and BSD-2000 hyperthermia systems are in practice at the 
