Success in Rectal Cancer, Success for BSD Medical

BSD Medical Corp. (NASDAQ: BSDM) is seeing its shares surge on positive news about tumors in rectal cancer. The company announced that published study results demonstrated improved rates of complete pathological tumor response in advanced rectal cancer patients from the addition of hyperthermia, delivered using the company’s BSD-2000 Hyperthermia System.

Driving the move in the stock came from the news that hyperthermia may provide enough reduction in tumor size to allow an increased rate of sphincter preservation surgery, which can allow patients to maintain normal rectal function. The findings were in a subgroup of patients with rectal tumors located lower in the gastrointestinal tract.

Hyperthermia was added to standard preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy combined (radiochemotherapy) for 61 patients. Results were retrospectively compared to 45 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who were treated with standard preoperative radiochemotherapy alone.

The rate of complete pathological tumor response was significantly higher in the patients receiving at least four hyperthermia treatments (22.5%), versus only 6.7% for patients receiving radiochemotherapy alone, and versus only 4.7% for patients treated with radiochemotherapy and only one to three hyperthermia treatments.

Another boost is that researchers also noted a complete pathological tumor response rate of 22.5% was achieved from the addition of hyperthermia. The company said:

Hyperthermia significantly increased the number of patients with tumors located within 8 cm of the anal verge who were able to have sphincter-sparing surgery: 57% in the hyperthermia group compared to only 35% in the group that did not receive hyperthermia (p=0.077). Sphincter-sparing surgery is expected to provide a dramatic improvement in quality of life for rectal cancer patients.

With the DJIA down about 200 points, shares of BSD Medical are up a whopping 35% at $2.29. The market capitalization rate here is only $68 million, even after today’s big gain, so this is a micro-cap stock. We have also seen more than 10-times the normal trading with volume at 1.4 million shares after only about an hour since the open.

JON C. OGG