INVUITY® LAUNCHES HIDDEN SCAR™ PROGRAM FOR BREAST CANCER SURGERY AT AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS (ACS) ANNUAL CLINICAL CONGRESS 2015

New initiative enables surgeons to adopt innovative surgical approach that leads to optimal clinical and aesthetic outcomes

PR Newswire – CHICAGO, OCTOBER 1, 2015
Invuity, Inc. (NASDAQ:IVTY), an advanced medical technology company, announced today the launch of its Hidden ScarTM Surgery program designed to certify surgeons and establish Centers of Excellence at major cancer centers and hospitals across the country. This innovative program will train surgeons on advanced minimally invasive and minimal access surgical approaches that deliver optimal clinical and aesthetic outcomes for patients. As part of the company’s broader women’s health initiative, Invuity is hosting a Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery training course in advance of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress.

Invuity aims to transform the surgical treatment of breast cancer with this advanced surgical approach for nipple sparing mastectomies and lumpectomies (breast conserving surgery). Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery expands surgical options for patients, offering superior cosmetic outcomes that can improve their psychological and emotional recovery and enhance quality of life after surgery.1

With growing demand for less invasive alternatives to breast cancer surgery, surgeons need to operate through smaller incisions with limited fields of vision. Invuity’s illumination technology allows surgeons to access and visualize the entire breast cavity through discrete incision locations, enabling surgeons to safely and effectively treat breast cancer while preserving the natural shape of the breast and thereby minimizing and hiding the scars.

As part of ongoing professional education opportunities for surgeons, prior to the start of ACS 2015, Invuity is hosting a day-long didactic and hands-on training course. Led by the renowned Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery faculty, surgeons will get hands-on experience with advanced approaches and techniques to nipple sparing mastectomy and lumpectomy using Invuity’s Intelligent Photonics™ technology.

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Successfully completing the training program is an integral step for surgeons in receiving a Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery Certification. Hospitals and breast cancer centers can partner with Invuity to become a Hidden Scar Center of Excellence. This certification enables these institutions to offer advanced surgical procedures and educate patients and providers in their community about these less invasive alternatives to traditional mastectomy and lumpectomy.

Each year, approximately 232,000 women2 are diagnosed with breast cancer that requires surgery, but many are unaware of surgical procedures that can safely and effectively treat their cancer while still maintaining the shape and contour of the breast, including sparing the nipple, areola and surrounding breast tissue. With Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery, the cancerous tissue is removed through a single incision made in an inconspicuous area, resulting in less visible scarring. Patients who undergo this approach are at no higher risk of recurrence than patients who undergo any other surgical technique.3

“Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery allows surgeons like myself to treat a woman’s breast cancer, while still giving her the best cosmetic outcome,” said Rache Simmons, MD, FACS, chief of breast surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “My patients are shocked that they’re able to preserve natural-looking breasts after surgery because this innovative approach leaves no visible reminder of the mastectomy or breast cancer. It also positively impacts the patient’s psychological and emotional recovery.”

Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery is currently being performed by surgeons in leading hospitals around the United States, including NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center (New York, NY); Holy Redeemer Health System (Meadowbrook, PA), BayCare Medical Group: St. Joseph’s Hospital (Tampa, Fla.); and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (Washington, D.C).

“With the Hidden Scar program, we are excited to be partnering with leading surgeons and institutions to enable them to offer this innovative surgical approach that can so positively impact patients’ lives,” said Invuity CEO Philip Sawyer.

More Information:

  • For more information on Hidden Scar, visit www.myhiddenscar.com.
  • For more information about surgical options, including Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery by Invuity, and to find a list of Hidden Scar Certified surgeons, visit www.breastcancersurgery.com.
  • To sign up for online training course through Invuity University, surgeons can visit www.invuityuniversity.com.
  • To request more information on the Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery Program, email [email protected] to contact an Invuity representative.
  • Follow Hidden Scar program updates on Facebook and on Twitter.

About Invuity®
Invuity, Inc. is a medical technology company focused on developing and marketing advanced photonics devices to improve surgeons’ ability to illuminate and visualize the surgical cavity during minimally invasive and minimal access open surgery. The company's patented Intelligent Photonics™ technology enables enhanced surgical precision, efficiency and safety by providing superior visualization. Clinical applications include breast and thyroid oncology, plastic reconstructive, spine, orthopedic, cardiothoracic and general surgery among others. Invuity is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit www.invuity.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding market opportunities and potential results from future new initiatives. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including, but not limited to: fluctuations in demand or failure to gain market acceptance for the Company's devices; the Company's ability to demonstrate to and gain approval from hospitals to use the Company's devices; the highly competitive business environment for surgical medical devices; the Company's ability to sell its devices at prices that support its current business strategies; difficulty forecasting future financial performance; protection of the Company's intellectual property; and compliance with necessary regulatory clearances or approvals. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking information in this release. More information about potential factors that could affect the Company's business and financial results is included in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, under the captions: “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Risk Factors,” which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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CONTACTS:

Media:
Stephanie Miceli
WE Communications
415-547-7018
[email protected]

Investors:
Matt Clawson
Pure Communications
949-370-8500
[email protected]

1 Shepherd, Rupert. "Nipple Sparing Mastectomy gives Breast Cancer Patients A Third Safe Surgery Option." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.
2 “U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics.” Breastcancer.org. May 11, 2015. Web. August 19, 2015.
3 Study Finds Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy Does Not Increase Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence. Accessed on January 28, 2015 from http://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/past-press-releases/2011-archives/study-finds-nipple-sparing-mastectomy-does-not-increase-risk-of-breast-cancer-recurrence.html.