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September 25, 2006 03:15 PM Eastern Time
Sirtex Supports the 2006 Carcinoid/Neuroendocrine Tumor Conference
Information on SIR-Spheres® Microspheres to be presented at Event

LAKE FOREST, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sirtex, a leading developer of targeted and innovative cancer therapies, is a participating sponsor at this year’s Carcinoid/Neuroendocrine Tumor (NET) Conference. The conference, which is hosted by the Washington & Oregon Chapters of the Pacific Northwest Carcinoid Cancer Support Group, will be held September 28-30 at the DoubleTree Hotel’s Lloyd Center in Portland, Ore. The mission of the conference is to present the latest information on neuroendocrine tumors to patients, caregivers and physicians.

Neuroendocrine tumors, also commonly know as carcinoid tumors, are small, slow-growing cancers found mostly in the gastrointestinal system. In advanced cases, carcinoid tumors spread to the liver, which dramatically reduces survival rates. SIR-Spheres microspheres are currently FDA-approved for colorectal cancers that metastasize to the liver. However, research presented earlier this year at the Second Annual Symposium on Liver Directed Radiotherapy suggests that SIR-Spheres microspheres also are effective on carcinoid tumors, which is currently not an FDA-approved use.

Sirtex will provide sponsorship support to the conference and be an exhibitor. Dr. Douglas Coldwell, an interventional radiologist from Dallas, will present information on SIR-Spheres microspheres during two Saturday sessions on yttrium-90 microspheres. The first session will be directed to physicians. Later that afternoon, Dr. Coldwell will address patients and their caregivers, offering the latest research and treatment protocol for SIR-Spheres microspheres.

“We are pleased to support the Carcinoid/Neuroendocrine Tumor conference,” says Nat Geissel, CEO, Sirtex Medical Inc. “At Sirtex, we are committed to providing effective therapies to people diagnosed with liver cancer. Carcinoid tumors are difficult to treat once they spread to the liver, and our hope is that with further research we will be able to confirm the efficacy of SIR-Spheres microspheres as an effective treatment option for patients.”

Sirtex’s SIR-Spheres microspheres are radioactive polymer spheres that emit beta radiation. Physicians insert a catheter through the groin into the hepatic artery and deliver millions of SIR-Spheres microspheres directly to the tumor site. Approximately 60 physicians in the United States use Sirtex’s SIR-Spheres microspheres in more than 65 medical centers. The minimally invasive procedure is performed on an out-patient basis with minor side effects.

About Sirtex

SIR-Spheres microspheres were developed in the 1980s in Australia and were approved by the FDA in March 2002. Sirtex has obtained regulatory approval to market SIR-Spheres microspheres in the United States, European Union, Israel and Australia. The product is marketed in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. For more information, visit www.sirtex.com.

® SIR-Spheres is a Registered Trademark of Sirtex SIR-Spheres Pty Ltd.

Contacts
Sirtex
Andrea Moody, 919-457-0743
[email protected]

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