BSD Medical Corp said a study showed therapeutic heat combined with chemotherapy and radiation delivered through the company's heat delivery system increased survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.
Salt Lake City, Utah-based company's shares, which have lost a quarter of their value in the last three months, rose over 8 percent to $3.02 on Wednesday morning on Nasdaq.
The study showed that patients treated with the combination delivered using the company's BSD-2000 Hyperthermia System had a survival rate of 15 months compared with 11 months for those treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CRT) alone.
The company's hyperthermia system, which is approved in Europe, delivers therapeutic heating by applying radiofrequency energy and is restricted to investigational use in the U.S.
The authors of the study said the combination of CRT with hyperthermia, or overheating the body, was found to be safe in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
BSD Medical develops, manufactures and markets systems to treat cancer and benign diseases using heat therapy delivered using focused radiofrequency and microwave energy.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States with more than 37,000 new cases and more than 33,000 deaths per year. The median survival period from the time of diagnosis until death is 3.5 to 6 months.
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