Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 10:45 a.m
Berlin – Only a few types of cancer are as dangerous as pancreatic cancer. British scientists have found that not only is it occurring at younger and younger ages, but women are particularly affected by this development. Since the 1990s, the disease rate among women under 25 has increased by 200 percent. OncoSil would like to use International Women’s Day as an opportunity to draw attention to this threatening development.
As a rule, women and men are affected by this silent danger at about the same rate. However, in the UK, recent figures from Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org) have shown that the incidence is increasing, particularly among younger women. For women up to the age of 25, the rate increased by around 200 percent, and for 25 to 49 year olds the rate increased by 34 percent1. This makes it almost twice as high as in the rest of the population. It is still unclear why women are predominantly affected. Researchers suspect that the overall trend is due to rising obesity rates. They predict that pancreatic cancer will be the second most common cause of cancer death by 2030.
Health systems and science are therefore called upon to improve early detection. Because it initially shows few symptoms, pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed at a stage in which it has already spread to other organs. If detected early in the early stages, patients can be cured through surgical resection.
OncoSil therapy can help make initially inoperable tumors in locally advanced pancreatic cancer resectable. Radioactive substances are injected directly into the tumor with approximately twice the dose of external radiation therapy – in a targeted manner and without damaging healthy surrounding tissue. In the case of pancreatic cancer, OncoSil therapy is used in combination with chemotherapy. The need for new therapy options is high – 84 hospitals in Germany have already requested reimbursement for OncoSil therapy. In addition, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) is currently working on guidelines for the planned test study to develop the provision of clinical evidence.
OncoSil CEO and Managing Director Nigel Lange said:
“I am confident that this therapy will be available in Germany in the future for suitable patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer – especially because the OncoSil™ technology is an additional treatment option for patients with a life-threatening disease with few treatment options and an unfavorable prognosis is.”
1 Cancer Research UK. 2021. Pancreatic cancer statistics for the UK: Incidence rates for pancreatic cancer (C25), 1993-2018. Abgerufen am 01.03.2024
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is currently the fourth most common cause of cancer death in women – just as it is in men. However, the proportion is significantly higher at 9.0 percent (men: 7.5 percent).
Just over 20,000 people develop pancreatic cancer every year. Just as many die from it. The five-year survival rate is 11%2. In addition, the number of illnesses and deaths is continually increasing; the causes are dietary habits and demographic developments.
Pancreatic cancer is threatening because it combines several unfavorable characteristics: It grows relatively quickly, but causes hardly any symptoms, such as pain, and is therefore usually diagnosed late.
2 The data listed here for Germany from: Cancer – Pancreatic cancer (krebsdaten.de) accessed on February 29, 224
About OncoSil
OncoSil Medical is a medical technology company that aims to improve care for cancer patients. OncoSil Medical’s main product is OncoSil™, a radioactive isotope (phosphorus-32) that is implanted directly into a patient’s pancreatic tumor using ultrasound guidance and targeting via an endoscope. Treatment with OncoSil™ is intended to produce more concentrated and localized beta radiation compared to external irradiation. OncoSil Medical has conducted six clinical studies with positive results on tolerability, safety and effectiveness. CE Mark has been granted for the OncoSil™ implant, allowing it to be marketed in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
The OncoSil™ implant has also been recognized as a breakthrough product in the European Union and the United Kingdom. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an IDE (Investigational Device Exemption) to conduct a clinical trial of OncoSil™ treatment in support of a PMA (Premarket Approval) approval.
In December 2018, the FDA granted Humanitarian Use Designation (HUD) for OncoSil™ therapy for the treatment of unresectable bile duct cancer. In March 2020, the FDA granted Breakthrough Device Designation for OncoSil™ treatment for unresectable pancreatic cancer in conjunction with systemic chemotherapy.
Forward-Looking Statements
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Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially. OncoSil Medical is providing this information as of the date of this document and undertakes no obligation to update any statement contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or other developments.