The first patient in the SpectraCure Phase 1 study has been treated for prostate cancer at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada. The treatment went well and the patient is doing fine.
The SpectraCure IDOSE® Technology for treatment planning and laser light dose delivery to the tumour was used. The treatment method, called Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), means that the patient is administered a light-activated drug that accumulates in the tumor. When the cancer tissue is illuminated with laser light of a specific wavelength, the drug is activated and eradicates the tumor. The procedure sets high requirements on accurate control of the laser light dose.
The treatment was performed by a medical team at the uro-oncology clinic at the hospital in Toronto, with technical support from the SpectraCure staff.
"The first patient treatment in the study is a milestone for SpectraCure," comments SpectraCure CEO Masoud Khayyami. “We have worked hard for this for a long time and now the study is running seriously”.
The next patient, who has consented participation in the study, will the current week be investigated to see if he meets all criteria, including MRI imaging and tissue biopsies.
The treatments in the Phase 1 study will continue for the remainder of 2017. The study comprises 12 to 36 patients, where the actual number depends on the final determination of the treatment dose. After the final treatment in Phase 1, a continuation of a Phase 2 study is planned, in which a group of patients will be treated at the dose determined in Phase 1. The Phase 1 study refers to treatment of patients receiving relapse of prostate cancer after having been treated wth radiotherapy. For these patients there are no curative treatment options in routine care, and they are normally referred to hormonal treatment to inhibit tumor growth. Hormonal treatment causes undesirable side effects. SpectraCure aims to offer a curative treatment option for these patients with fewer and milder side effects.
