The 65-patient study, in which the Endocare Cryocare(R) system was used principally, examined the results of men who elected to have prostate cryosurgery as their primary therapy between January 1998 and April 2002. All of the men in the study exhibited symptoms deemed high-risk, including prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels greater than or equal to 10 ng/mL and/or a Gleason sum score greater than or equal to 8. Following the procedure, patients were monitored via physical examinations and PSA screening every three months and with radiologic imaging in some cases. After a median follow-up period of 35 months (the range was 4-77 months), the PSA biochemical disease-free survival rate was 83 percent of patients according to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) criteria. The overall survival rate at the time of publication was 100 percent.

"The progression of data supporting the cryosurgery option as a primary means of treating prostate cancer, even in a high-risk patient population or as a secondary or 'salvage' treatment for men who have failed radiation therapy, continues to accelerate as use of the procedure increases in the urology community," said Dr. Aaron Katz, assistant professor of urology at Columbia Presbyterian Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and a principal author of the study. "Cryosurgery has again been shown to result in long-term cure rates and has very few complications."

Endocare Chairman and CEO Craig T. Davenport said, "As the technology and precision of our device have progressed, physicians have become much more confident in its use in treating a greater proportion of prostate cancer patients -- even those with more serious conditions or who have attempted other forms of treatment. In addition to the recently announced 10-year survival data and numerous studies in the area of interventional radiology, this study is one more milestone on the road to broader acceptance and use of our technology, and we appreciate the efforts of the clinicians and patients who continue to push forward with valuable research."