RTek Medical Systems LLC

Prostate cancer will affect one in six American men in their lifetime. Consequently, more than 232,000 diagnoses will be made in 2005. RTek Medical Systems has commercialized a prostate cancer treatment system to improve a common prostate cancer procedure called brachytherapy. In brachytherapy, tiny radioactive "seeds" are surgically implanted into the prostate to kill cancer cells. Precise placement of the seeds is crucial to eradicating cancer while sparing damage to surrounding tissues.

RTek’s system, Prostate Implant Planning Engine for Radiotherapy, or PIPER is based on the research of URMC’s medical physicist Yan Yu, Ph.D., Professor of Radiation Oncology and on the work of software developers, Real Time Enterprises, Inc. PIPER enhances the ability of surgeons to plan the number and optimum placement of seeds for each patient. Older techniques rely on imaging data generated weeks prior to treatment. However, hormone therapy before surgery can shrink the prostate, and anesthesia can change the positioning of the pelvis the day of surgery, outdating treatment plans by the time the procedure is performed. RTek's new system is revolutionary because of its speed and optimization capabilities. Based on an ultrasound scan of a patient's prostate and other organs, the PIPER system automatically compiles a computer-optimized radiation treatment plan in less than two minutes. The system's speed and precision make it possible for radiation planning to be done right in the operating room immediately before surgery.

RTek was founded in 1999 in preparation for the 2000 FDA marketing approval of the PIPER system. PIPER was implemented by the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center in 2001. To date, 175 brachytherapy procedures have been planned using PIPER.

For further information, contact Robert M. Ruppenthal.