Endocare to Explore Kidney Disease Aid

Endocare Inc. in Irvine, signaling the commercial expansion of its cryoablation technology, announced Tuesday the launch of that technique for the treatment of kidney disease.

The technique selectively freezes and destroys diseased kidney tissue in place, as opposed to the current standard of treatment which involves invasive surgery and removal of affected tissue.

Endocare, a medical device maker, previously received FDA approval for its cryoablation technology for the treatment of prostate cancer and benign prostate growth.

Promising results on the effectiveness and safety of the kidney cryoablation technique were presented this week at the American Urological Assn.’s annual meeting in Atlanta. Preliminary results from clinical studies performed at the Cleveland Clinic showed encouraging success rates and low complication rates in more than 40 renal cryoablation procedures, researchers reported.

“Cryoablation holds the potential to become the preferred treatment option for selected patients with kidney tumors,” said Paul Mikus, president and CEO of Endocare.

Endocare’s shares lost 5 cents Tuesday to close at $15.95.