Latest IMV Market Report on U.S. Radiation Oncology Facilities Shows Continued Adoption of State-of-the-Art Radiation Treatment Techniques.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

DES PLAINES, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 2003

According to a recent study published by IMV Medical Information Division, radiation oncology sites are rapidly expanding the adoption of new therapeutic techniques and related equipment and consumables that facilitate these techniques. "IMV's fourth census of all radiation oncology facilities in the US shows that conformal radiotherapy is now provided by 76% of the sites that perform external beam radiation therapy, up from 37% of the sites in 1998," observed Lorna Young, Senior Director of Market Research at IMV. "We monitor the adoption rates of other techniques including inverse planning, 3D treatment planning, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), stereotactic radiosurgery and prostate seed therapy, to name a few."

In addition to their increased adoption of clinical techniques, sites are increasing usage of electronic networks to send and receive digital images, such as CT and MRI, used in treatment planning. While in 1998 24% of the radiation oncology sites used electronic networks, the current census indicates that 60% of the sites now use networks for sharing images used in treatment planning. Nearly all of the radiation oncology sites currently use CT images in their treatment plans while 40% use MRI images.

The 2001/02 edition of the Radiation Oncology Census Database provides profiles of 1,547 sites, which comprise over 80% of the 1,861 identified facilities performing external beam radiation therapy treatments in the U.S. The database can be licensed by qualified subscribers and includes contact and site-specific information such as equipment utilization by manufacturer, radioactive agent utilization by type, prostate seed utilization by supplier, and planned purchases. Equipment types covered include linear accelerators, simulators, treatment planning systems, record and verify / information management systems, remote afterloader brachytherapy units and dedicated radiosurgery units. Applications of the database include market analysis, target marketing and lead generation.

IMV's 2001/02 Radiation Oncology Market Summary Report is available with the database license or separately. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the radiation oncology market, and compares nationwide trends with the four prior census surveys that IMV has conducted since 1996, including vendor market share trends by technology type. For more information about the Radiation Oncology Census Database and Market Summary Report, visit the corporate website at www.imvlimited.com or call 847-297-1404 to speak with a representative.

IMV Medical Information Division, Inc. (formerly Technology Marketing Group) is a market research consulting firm founded in 1977 specializing in medical and other advanced healthcare technology markets. IMV's proprietary market research services, in combination with census databases of more than 80% of all U.S. imaging sites with selected modalities, provide clients with valuable assistance in strategic planning, market development and sales initiatives. Current census databases include angiography, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, radiographic fluoroscopy, cardiac catheterization, echocardiography, PET, and RIS/PACS.