Cancer treatment systems maker BSD Medical Corp. ( BSDM ) recently reported favorable response to its hyperthermia exhibit at the international conference of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (“ASTRO”), organized in Miami Beach.

The topic for the 2011 conference centered around “patient-focused, high-quality, multidisciplinary care,” which provided the spotlight to hyperthermia. Hyperthermia has proven to be the strongest radiosensitizing agent identified until now. It has shown the ability to boost the effectiveness of radiation for many tumors.

ASTRO is the biggest radiation oncology society in the globe and its yearly meeting is the top global scientific conference on the subject. ASTRO has over 10,000 members including radiation oncology nurses, radiation oncologists, radiation therapists and medical physicists.

BSD Medical stated that it was pleased to see the high level of interest in hyperthermia among both domestic and international onlookers as well as distributors. Important trade shows, such as ASTRO, permit BSD Medical to create better understanding of hyperthermia treatment.

The BSD-500 Hyperthermia System is utilized to deliver targeted, therapeutic heat treatment (hyperthermia) using either external or internal applicators. The BSD-500 has received Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) pre-market approval (“PMA”). Clinical studies have demonstrated that hyperthermia delivered with the BSD-500 can sharply boost the effectiveness of radiation therapy without a major hike in toxicity for many tumors.

The BSD-2000 Hyperthermia System, patented by the company, provides local therapeutic heating (hyperthermia) by administering radiofrequency energy. The BSD-2000 provides dynamic control over the heat applied to the tumor. It has obtained CE Marking approval in the European Union (“EU”). The BSD-2000 is currently limited to investigational use in the U.S. and the company is conducting a clinical study. BSD Medical has applied for a Humanitarian Device Exemption (“HDE”) approval for this system, which is under review with the FDA.

BSD Medical competes with established players like Boston Scientific ( BSX - Analyst Report ) and Angiodynamics ( ANGO - Analyst Report ) in the thermal ablation market. The global market for soft tissue ablation has been estimated to exceed $2.3 billion, offering a significant opportunity for BSD Medical.