Calmare Therapeutics Inc (fka CTTC)

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VCU Massey Cancer Center Clinical Study Examines Ability of a Medical Device to Decrease Pain in Cancer Patients

Richmond, Va. (July 2, 2009)–Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center opened a Phase II clinical study to see whether an FDA-cleared pain therapy device helps decrease pain in cancer patients.

The study will examine the device’s effect on pain associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), which can produce sharp pains in the hands and feet of cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. This debilitating pain affects about 20 to 30 percent of cancer patients.

The pain therapy device is exclusively licensed by Competitive Technologies, Inc. of Fairfield, Conn.

“Exploring ways to treat pain other than prescribing opioids such as morphine is key to our mission of improving quality of life for cancer patients,” said Thomas J. Smith, MD, a principal investigator on the study. Smith is an international leader in palliative care and pain management, along with co-investigator Patrick Coyne, R.N., M.S.N.

Massey is the first site in the U.S. to offer a clinical study for pain in cancer patients with this device. The treatment protocol calls for 15 patients with CIPN to be studied first.

Cancer patients interested in learning more abut the study may contact clinical research nurse Patricia Dodson, RN, [e-mail] or 804-828-5242.

About the Device

The medical device is a noninvasive method for rapid treatment of high-intensity oncologic and neuropathic pain, including pain resistant to morphine and other drugs.

Using a biophysical rather than a biochemical approach, the unit has a multi-processor that’s able to simultaneously treat multiple pain areas by applying surface electrodes to the skin.

The device has been used on more than 3,000 patients in Europe, including at the Pain Management Center at Tor-Vergata University Medical Center in Rome It was developed by Prof. Guiseppe Marinero, an Italian bioengineer and medical doctor. It is also being studied at other academic medical centers in the U.S. for pain related to other medical conditions besides cancer.

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About Massey Cancer Center

The VCU Massey Cancer Center is one of 65 National Cancer Institute-designated institutions that leads and shapes America’s cancer research efforts. Working with all kinds of cancers, the Center conducts basic, translational and clinical cancer research, provides state-of-the-art treatments and clinical trials, and promotes cancer prevention and education. It offers more clinical trials than any other cancer center in Virginia, many of which are based on findings from its 175 faculty research members.

In addition, Massey is one of only six national centers designated by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation as a Palliative Care Leadership Center, through which Smith and colleagues train other professionals from across the country in how to develop and administer palliative care programs, which include pain and symptom management.

Visit Massey online at www.massey.vcu.edu.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrea Butler
804-628-2111; [e-mail]