September 1, 2010 - Santa Clara, CA

Lumenis Ltd., one of the world's largest medical laser companies and a global developer, manufacturer and seller of laser, light-based and radiofrequency devices for surgical, aesthetic, and ophthalmic applications, strives to provide both physicians and patients the latest technology and information on throat cancer for empowered decisions.

Transoral Laser Microsurgery (TLM)
Many questions about the available treatment options for throat cancer have been raised with the announcement of both actor Michael Douglas and film critic Roger Ebert’s throat cancer diagnosis. Lumenis' advanced technology provides throat cancer patients the option of surgery with less postoperative challenges. Transoral Laser Microsurgery (TLM) is performed with the Digital AcuBlade robotic microsurgery system, which can excise and ablate cancerous tissue with unprecedented precision.

Laryngeal and head and neck laser surgeons have long desired increased simplification, effectiveness and safety for laser procedures close to delicate structures such as vocal cords or larger blood vessels. TLM is a viable option for several types of head and neck cancers allowing physicians to target tumors without the need of open surgery.

TLM vs. Radiation Therapy
New data and studies demonstrate the advantages of using Transoral Laser Microsurgery (TLM) as an early stage disease alternative to radiation therapy, controlling the cancer and preserving voice and swallowing capabilities (1).

The CO2 laser system for TLM has clinically proved to provide equal or superior outcomes for the patient, with early stage disease, when compared to radiation therapy. Radiation could further lead to side-effects of mucositis, chondronecrosis and poor wound healing.

A recent Canadian study analyzed the cost of radiation versus TLM in early glottic cancer. The study, conducted retrospectively, found that TLM should be the preferred treatment option, as it is more economical and has excellent outcomes (2). TLM is generally an outpatient procedure, usually lasting up to 90 minutes, in contrast to radiation therapy which will take several weeks.

In many cases patients who receive radiation as primary treatment may lose the option of having minimally invasive surgery. Patients are then 12.7 times more likely to have a total laryngectomy, removal of the entire voice box, if radiation was unsuccessful (3). If you treat your patient with radiotherapy you burn the bridge and cannot come back and perform radiotherapy again. If you have to perform surgery it will be more complicated, have longer healing times, impacting safety of the surgery and so on. Definitely, I am in favor of TLM as a primary line of treatment, if possible, states Dr. Marc Remacle, Academic Professor of the faculty of Medicine at the University of Louvain, Belgium.

Video Symposia on 'Fiber, Automated and Robotic CO2 Laser Surgery for Laryngeal Disease'
At this year's 8th Congress of the European Laryngological Society (ELS), September 1-4th, Dr. Marc Remacle will speak on TLM. Moderated by Dr. Andrea Ricci Maccarini, Dr. Remacle and US colleague Dr. Paul Castellanos will present videos and information on the range of advanced laser instruments for TLM, from robotic micromanipulators to high power CO2 laser fibers. The ELS is devoted to knowledge and development in the field of Laryngology. http://www.elsoc.org/

About Lumenis
Lumenis, one of the world's largest medical laser companies, is a global developer, manufacturer and distributor of laser and light-based devices for surgical, ophthalmic and aesthetic applications, with more than 800 employees worldwide.  Lumenis has nearly 250 patents, over 75 FDA clearances, an installed base of over 80,000 systems and presence in over 100 countries. Lumenis endeavors to bring the finest state of the art technology products to the market, fulfilling the highest standards of excellence, quality and reliability, delivering premium value and service to its customers.  The name Lumenis is derived from the Latin words meaning "Light of Life" highlighting the light which is the basis of our technologies used to enhance life. For more information about Lumenis and its products, please go to: www.lumenis.com

For further information contact:
Michelle Maydan
Director of Corporate Communications
1-866-569-0597
+972-4-959-9004
e-mail: mmaydan@lumenis.com

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