BSD Medical is Now Pyrexar Medical

It has been four years since we acquired the hyperthermia division from BSD Medical and started Pyrexar Medical.  In addition to getting the technology rights to this life-changing technology, we also received a group of great, hardworking people. Pyrexar may be only celebrating year four, but we do this sitting atop four decades of drive, innovation, and the desire to give those that are battling cancer, a higher chance at disease-free survival.

We are looking toward achieving great strides in this next year. With that, we have many people to thank, and that includes you.  Thank you to all of our supporters, partners, researchers, physicians, physicists, radiation therapists, nurses, and administrative staff around the world. To those that continue to believe in the bright future of hyperthermia and to those who demand the best outcomes for their patients.

Thank you.

Ascension is the most extensive Catholic health system in the world and the largest non-profit health system in the United States with facilities in 23 states and the District of Columbia. It is a faith-based collaboration of hospitals, medical practices, and innovators that shares best practices and the objective of developing healthier communities throughout the United States by community outreach and researching means of reducing the cost of healthcare.

North Macomb Radiation Oncology Center, located in Macomb Township, Michigan on the campus of Ascension- St. John Hospital Health Center, is dedicated to providing their patients with the very best in Radiation Oncology services by combining personalized, compassionate care with our extensive clinical experience and cutting edge therapies. In alignment with there treatment goals, the center has added a BSD-500 Superficial/Interstitial hyperthermia system to aid in the treatment of cancer.

This facility has treated not only patients with common cancers such as breast, prostate, and lung, but also many patients with relatively uncommon cancers such as cancer of the head and neck, lymphoma and gynecological cancers. Amr Aref, M.D., is the Chief of Radiation Oncology for St. John Providence East Region and one of the most experienced radiation oncologists in the Metro Detroit area.  Dr. Aref has a particular interest in breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and malignant lymphomas and given presentations of his work in those areas at national and international meetings. They were published in peer-reviewed medical journals.

To find out more about the thermal oncology program at the center, please use the contact link here.

We are excited to see that the Society of Thermal Medicine has added a Clinical Hyperthermia Practice Guidelines Workshop to their conference schedule.  The program is scheduled for Monday, April 29th, 2019, 8:30 - 12:00 am.  Requires STM2019 registration and an additional fee ($75.00 USD). Registration Link

Clinical Hyperthermia Practice Guidelines Workshop
The goal of this workshop is to provide practical training for hyperthermia therapy personnel, including physicians, nurses, radiation therapists, and physicists. All speakers have clinical experience in their fields. Lectures from well-known experts on clinical, physics, and biology of hyperthermia will provide participants a comprehensive overview of practice guidelines to deliver safe and effective hyperthermia treatments. This multi-disciplinary workshop will also include talks on clinical workflow and reimbursement. The workshop is the first of its kind organized by STM and is open to STM2019 participants of all thermal therapy backgrounds.

Title		Speaker
How to Establish a Hyperthermia Program		Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD
Practice Guidelines for Superficial Hyperthermia		Jason K. Molitoris, MD
Practice Guidelines for Deep Hyperthermia		Mark Hurwitz, MD
Practice Guidelines for Interstitial Hyperthermia		John Hayes, MD
Equipment, Planning, and Execution of Microwave Superficial Hyperthermia Treatment		Paul Stauffer, MSEE, CCE
Equipment, Planning, and Execution of RF Deep Hyperthermia Treatment		Dario B. Rodrigues, PhD
Assessment of Hyperthermia Treatments based on Hypoxia Imaging		Mark Dewhirst, DVM, PhD
Clinical Workflow, Documentation and Reimbursement of Hyperthermia Treatments		Erika Maynor

 Download Workshop Brochure

Siteman Cancer Center is now offering superficial and interstitial hyperthermia, using the Pyrexar Medical BSD-500, to their cancer patients. The cancer center is located at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital within the Washington University Medical Center complex in the Central West End area of St. Louis, Missouri.

Although the system is utilized to treat a variety of indications, Dr. Imran Zoberi, Chief of Hyperthermia Service and Clinical Director of Radiation Oncology at Barnes-Jewish, is targeting recurrent chest wall tumors.  Issues related to the treatment of recurrent breast cancer include radiation dosage limitations, post-surgical skin folds, scarring, and lesions that can make this form of recurrent breast cancer a challenge to treat. Dr. Zoberi, along with William Straube, Research Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, has been long-time users of hyperthermia as an adjunct to radiotherapy. The new BSD-500 has replaced a retired Labthermics Sonotherm 1000.

According to a randomized phase III clinical trial (Jones study) published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and conclusions of a meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, adding hyperthermia to radiation therapy can potentially double complete response overusing radiation alone in recurrent breast cancer.

Randomized trial of hyperthermia and radiation for superficial tumors.Randomized trial of hyperthermia and radiation for superficial tumors.
J Clin Oncol. 2005 May 1;23(13):3079-85.
Jones EL, Oleson JR, Prosnitz LR, Samulski TV, Vujaskovic Z, Yu D, Sanders LL, Dewhirst MW.

Hyperthermia and Radiation Therapy in Locoregional Recurrent Breast Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2016 Apr
Datta NR, Puric E, Klingbiel D, Gomez S, Bodis S.