Application & Market Utility

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies and has a dismal fiveyear survival rate of ~10%. At least 20% of pancreatic malignancies stem from the progression of mucinous-type pancreatic cysts, found incidentally in 2% of adults. Until recently, the only widely accepted approaches to managing mucinous pancreatic cysts were indefinite radiographic surveillance or major surgery, both of which have significant limitations. EUS-guided ablation offers an alternative, but there are no devices specific to this procedure, and equipment often bends, leaks, or fails due to the required pressures or reaction of the chemotherapy agents with incompatible materials. A standardized device for enabling EUSguided chemoablation could significantly increase adoption of the procedure and ultimately reduce the number of mucinous cysts that progress to pancreatic cancer.