First Cancer Radioembolization Procedures Performed With Hansen Medical's Magellan Robotic System

June 3, 2015—Hansen Medical, Inc. announced the completion of the first robotically assisted radioembolization procedures for cancer treatment using the company’s Magellan robotic system, which has been used extensively for interventional transarterial chemoembolization. The procedures were performed by interventional radiologists Francis Schlueter, MD, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Ripal Gandhi, MD, at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Miami, Florida.

Hansen Medical’s Magellan robotic system drives Magellan robotic catheters and guidewires during minimally invasive endovascular procedures. It is intended to be used to facilitate navigation in the peripheral vasculature and subsequently provide a conduit for manual placement of therapeutic devices.

For the primary treatment of liver canner and metastatic colon cancer, the Magellan robotic system is used to facilitate catheter-based radioembolization by delivering radioactive isotope yttrium-90 microspheres via blood vessels that feed the tumor. The microspheres are lodged at the tumor site to deliver a high dose of radiation to the cancer cells while generally sparing healthy tissues.

In the company’s press release, Dr. Schlueter commented, “Many patients who suffer from primary liver and metastatic colorectal cancer may benefit from radioembolization therapy, and the Magellan robotic system offers important benefits in these procedures.”

Dr. Gandhi added, “The stability and navigability of the Magellan robotic system are critical features in these types of procedures that require precision and a delicate touch when delivering the Y-90 radioactive beads.”

The Magellan system, which is commercially available in the United States and Europe, is designed to deliver predictability, control, and catheter stability to endovascular procedures. Magellan's remote workstation allows physicians to control robotic catheters and guidewires while seated away from the radiation field, which has been shown to reduce radiation exposure to the physician by as much as 95% in complex endovascular procedures, stated Hansen Medical.