Lake Success, New York, August 5, 2026
Francis Medical has reached an important commercialization milestone for its Vanquish® Water Vapor Ablation System, with Northwell Urology Group performing the first commercial Vanquish procedure in New York State. The outpatient procedure was performed by Samir S. Taneja, MD, chairman of the Department of Urology at Northwell Health, at the Northwell Health Ambulatory Surgery Center at the Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success. The patient had localized prostate cancer, and the procedure used the Vanquish System to deliver thermal energy stored in sterile water vapor to targeted prostate tissue. Developed as a minimally invasive transurethral technology, Vanquish is designed to conform treatment to the natural boundaries of targeted tissue while potentially reducing exposure of nearby structures involved in urinary and sexual function. The commercial procedure follows FDA 510(k) clearance in late 2025 and represents the system’s first New York use outside a clinical study.
Vanquish Technology Brings Water Vapor Ablation to Prostate Care
The Vanquish Water Vapor Ablation System combines transurethral delivery with ultrasound and electromagnetic guidance to convectively ablate targeted prostate tissue. Rather than relying on a traditional surgical approach, the technology delivers thermal water vapor directly to the treatment area, where stored energy is released into targeted tissue. Francis Medical developed the platform with the objective of providing physicians with a minimally invasive prostate ablation option while potentially limiting effects on surrounding anatomy. The New York procedure is particularly significant because it moves the technology from clinical investigation into an early phase of commercial utilization following FDA clearance. Dr. Taneja, who performed the procedure, previously served as Co-Principal Investigator of the VAPOR 2 pivotal study, giving the Northwell team direct clinical experience with the technology before its commercial introduction. The procedure was completed in an outpatient ambulatory surgery setting, highlighting its potential integration into established urology care pathways.
VAPOR 2 Data Support Clinical Development of Vanquish
The commercial milestone follows findings from the VAPOR 2 study, a prospective, multicenter, single-arm pivotal investigation that enrolled 235 patients with intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer across 26 U.S. clinical sites. Initial results from the first 110 patients showed that six-month biopsy assessments found elimination of targeted MRI-visible clinically significant disease in 91% of patients following a single Vanquish procedure, with no device-related serious adverse events reported in that analysis. Patient-reported outcomes also showed encouraging satisfaction measures, with 93% of patients reporting that they were satisfied or extremely satisfied at 12 months, while 94% considered their decision to undergo the procedure a wise choice. The study findings have also been published in the Journal of Urology, adding peer-reviewed clinical evidence supporting continued evaluation and adoption of the technology. These results provide an important clinical foundation as Francis Medical expands commercial access to its prostate tissue ablation platform.
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FDA-Cleared System Moves Into Early Commercial Adoption
The first New York commercial procedure represents another step in Francis Medical’s transition from clinical development toward broader commercialization of Vanquish. Importantly, the regulatory scope of the technology should remain clearly distinguished from its ongoing clinical evaluation. The Vanquish System is FDA-cleared as a tool for thermal ablation of targeted prostate tissue through a transurethral approach. The FDA has not evaluated the system for treatment of any disease, including prostate cancer, or for long-term prostate cancer treatment outcomes. This distinction remains important as physicians evaluate emerging minimally invasive technologies alongside established prostate care approaches. For Francis Medical, the Northwell milestone demonstrates how the system can move into real-world clinical practice at a major urology center following regulatory clearance. Continued commercial adoption and generation of longer-term evidence could further define the role of water vapor ablation technology within the evolving landscape of minimally invasive prostate interventions.
Source: Francis Medical press release
