Endocare Says System Effectively Treats Prostate Cancer

Endocare Inc.’s Cryocare Cyrosurgical system was found to effectively treat prostate cancer, with 97% of 31 comparative patients in a follow-up study showing a negative biopsy one year after treatment, the Irvine company said Thursday.

Endocare said that 97.6% of 163 patients were cancer-free after six months, after undergoing targeted cryosurgery. In a comparison study conducted by physicians at the prostate center at Crittenton Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., Endocare’s system in combination with trans-rectal ultrasound was found to be 3 1/2 times more likely to abate the prostate and produce fewer complications than standard cryosurgery, the company said.

According to the company, a two-year follow-up found that 97.6% of patients treated with the Cryocare system were free of disease, compared to 83.4% who were cancer-free after being treated with standard cryosurgery. The Cryocare procedure usually costs $13,500.

Endocare’s stock closed at $5.63, up 38 cents.