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U.S. and European Brachytherapy Markets
Frost & Sullivan, Jan 2005
Patient Education on Brachytherapy to Help Counter Physician’s Treatment Bias
Driven by lucrative payments from prostatectomies and reduced reimbursement for external beam and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), physicians are likely to consider those treatment options with higher payments. This trend is not very conducive to the expansion of the brachytherapy market, and hence, participants will have to devise ingenious patient education strategies. Internet research and direct-to-consumer advertising are expected to create considerable treatment option awareness. Greater opportunities for brachytherapy are anticipated with the U.S. Congress’ resolution encouraging physicians to inform prostate cancer patients of all proven treatments available and use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and mammogram tests for early detection of cancer.
This research provides an overview of and outlook for the U.S. brachytherapy market. The study also closely examines the competitive factors in the market segmenting it into implantable prostate seed and post-surgical sectors. It includes challenges, strategies, detailed market opportunities, and industry trends that have been evaluated through extensive interviews with industry participants. The research also looks at the projected market growth in United States.
Usage of Seeds for Prostate Cancer Generates New Cancer Applications
From $143.7 million in 2003, the implantable prostate seeds market revenue is expected to reach $300.2 million in 2010, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.1 percent. While propping up the brachytherapy market, this growth will also assist development in other cancer applications. For instance, the post-surgical brachytherapy market, which includes seed treatment for breast and eye cancer, was worth $2.9 million in 2003. In 2010, it is expected to reach $96.1 million.
Meanwhile, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have made many modifications to reimbursement payment structure for implantable seeds. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 has also provided for separate payments for brachytherapy seeds. This policy eliminates restrictive monetary caps on brachytherapy seed reimbursement, states the analyst of this research. It enables physicians to decide the seed type, number of seeds, and advanced seed technologies, thereby eliminating concern about reimbursement restrictions.
Positive Clinical Trial Results Encourage Greater Acceptance of Brachytherapy
Many long-term studies have been conducted on prostate and breast cancer therapies using seed brachytherapy and most of the results have been favorable. The largest patient study of prostate brachytherapy primarily using Theragenics
Corporation’s palladium seeds demonstrated a cancer-free rate of 81 percent. A 15-year clinical trial by Oncura, exclusively using its OncoSeed, showed that 93 percent of patients were rid of cancer after 5 years. Meanwhile, Proxima Therapeutics’ 3-year study using its MammoSite device for breast cancer, found no local recurrences.
These studies provide critical evidence needed by physicians regarding the effectiveness of seed brachytherapy for treatment of prostate and breast cancer, and are expected to encourage brachytherapy procedures, notes the analyst.
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