MDS Nordion's TheraSphere(R) Highlighted at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting

Use of TheraSphere in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Subject of Several Physicians' Presentations

OTTAWA, March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - MDS Nordion, a global leader in providing products and services for medical imaging and radiotherapeutics, and sterilization technologies, today announced that TheraSphere(R), an innovative Yttrium-90 radioembolization treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), commonly known as primary liver cancer, was the topic of several major presentations at the 2010 Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) 35th Annual Scientific Meeting.

One of the presentations was focused on an investigator initiated study led by Riad Salem, MD, interventional radiologist and professor of radiology, medicine and surgery at Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill. Dr. Salem and colleagues assessed clinical outcomes utilizing TheraSphere in 291 patients suffering from HCC. Robert Lewandowski, MD, a co-author and an interventional radiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, presented a comprehensive analysis of the findings.

"This study is one of the first to look at radioembolization treatment with a large cohort of patients at various stages of the clinical disease progression," said Dr. Salem. "In our analysis, we were able to determine what particular patient type would benefit from this treatment. This study has provided significant data points that could support future studies of similar scope."

Steve Hong, MD, a radiologist at William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, presented a study addressing the deterioration in liver function following radioembolization treatment for HCC, for which the principal investigator was Michael Savin, MD, an interventional radiology researcher also from William Beaumont Hospital. The study concluded that while liver deterioration is a known complication of radioembolization, most liver deterioration appeared to occur due to underlying cirrhosis or further progression of the patient's liver cancer.

"These physicians have tremendous clinical experience and insight with respect to TheraSphere and how it performs in patients suffering from HCC," said Kevin Brooks, Vice-President, Marketing, MDS Nordion. "The existing standard of care for HCC treatment is maturing, and the interventional radiology community recognizes that new and less invasive therapeutic technologies, like TheraSphere, ultimately benefit patients."

In addition, TheraSphere and radioembolization are the subject of numerous other poster presentations, scientific sessions, workshops and categorical courses at the SIR meeting. Those in attendance can obtain a schedule of these sessions from the MDS Nordion booth #1420 in the Technical Exhibit Hall. The abstracts of the two aforementioned studies are available on the SIR website at www.sirmeeting.org.

The Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting is the most comprehensive worldwide gathering for all professionals practicing in the field of interventional radiology. The event hosts a series of activities including technical exhibits, workshops, and scientific and plenary sessions. This year's meeting is at the Tampa Convention Center, Florida from March 13 to 18.

About TheraSphere

TheraSphere is a liver cancer therapy that consists of millions of small glass beads (20 to 30 micrometers in diameter) containing radioactive yttrium-90. The product is injected by physicians into the main artery of the patient's liver through a catheter, which allows the treatment to be delivered directly to the tumor via blood vessels. TheraSphere treatment can generally be administered on an outpatient basis and does not usually require an overnight hospital stay. TheraSphere, 100% reimbursed by Medicare and many commercial health insurers, is approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a humanitarian device exemption. It is used to treat patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and can be used as a bridge to surgery or transplantation in these patients. It can also be used to treat primary liver cancer patients with portal vein thrombosis. Humanitarian Use Device approvals are based on demonstrated safety and probable clinical benefit; however effectiveness of the indication for use has not been established.

TheraSphere treatment has some common side effects, including mild to moderate fatigue, pain and nausea for about a week. Physicians describe these symptoms as similar to those of the common flu. Some patients will experience some loss of appetite and temporary changes in several blood tests. For details on rare or more severe side effects, please refer to the TheraSphere package insert at www.mdsnordion.com/TheraSphere.

About MDS

MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ) is a global health science company that provides market-leading products and services used for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading provider of innovative technologies for use in medical imaging and radiotherapeutics, and sterilization technologies benefiting the lives of millions of people in more than 65 countries around the world. Our products and services are used daily by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical-device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics and research laboratories. MDS has more than 850 highly skilled people in five locations. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or www.mdsnordion.com.

SOURCE MDS Nordion