Images generated with NanoEcho’s system were shown for the first time to internationally leading colorectal surgeons at the annual Swedish conference on colorectal surgery.
The Swedish conference on colorectal surgery 2023 took place on April 20 – 21 in Malmö. This is an annual conference organized by the Swedish Association for Colorectal Surgery in collaboration with the European Society of Coloproctology. At the conference, over 100 rectal surgeons from Sweden and the rest of Europe gathered to exchange experiences around the theme “tailoring colorectal cancer treatment”. The focus on Friday was organ-sparing treatment of early rectal cancer.
The starting point at the conference was that too many patients go through unnecessary surgical interventions today. The main reason is that making a detailed diagnosis before surgery is too difficult. For example, it is not possible to determine with certainty whether early rectal cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or not. At the conference, radiologists, surgeons, and oncologists agreed on the value of being able to find a safe way to determine whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes before surgery.
Professor Henrik Thorlacius, who leads one of the ongoing investigator-led development studies with NanoEcho’s system, was among other things tasked with presenting trends in early colorectal cancer. He presented how the introduction of screening for colorectal cancer leads to an increased focus on minimally invasive techniques. His colleague Carl-Fredrik Rönnow presented how patients with early rectal cancer can have the tumor removed via an endoscope, during an outpatient visit, instead of surgery. As part of his presentation, he also explained the basics behind NanoEcho’s magnetomotor ultrasound method. The audience had the opportunity to see images generated by NanoEcho’s imaging system and images from the ongoing clinical development study.
” This new technology that NanoEcho is developing is exciting. It would really make a difference to both patients and society if we can come up with a method that allows us to find out whether patients with rectal cancer have spread to nearby lymph nodes or not, before surgery” says Professor Henrik Thorlacius, who leads a study on NanoEcho’s technology at Skåne uUniversity Hospital.
“It was a very rewarding conference and it is incredibly valuable to be able to meet internationally leading surgeons in the field, and have the opportunity to take part in their discussions about how we, with better diagnostics, can contribute to patients not going through large surgery unnecessarily”, says Kristina Hallström, Chief Marketing Officer at NanoEcho.
If you have any questions, please contact
Kristina Hallström, CMO & CCO
e-mail: ir@nanoecho.se
NanoEcho develops a new technology for clearer diagnostics of, in the first indication, rectal cancer. The imaging technology is based on a new medical approach where nanotechnology is used in combination with modern ultrasound technology. The images that are generated are intended to facilitate differentiation between healthy and diseased tissue and at the same time determine the location of the cancer tissue more precisely. The aim is to provide more precise, simple, and cost-effective diagnosis of cancers and other diseases. With clearer diagnostics, the company wants to assist treating physicians with better guidance for more personalised treatment. Both the quality of life of the patients and their chance of survival can improve after treatment, with reduced treatment costs. www.nanoecho.se
