Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
Thank you. And ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question-and-answer session. (Operator Instructions). Our first question comes from the line of Rick Wise with Bear Stearns. Please go ahead Rick.
Miroslava Minkova - Bear Stearns
Hi, it's actually Miroslava for Rick, speaking here. Just a couple of questions, maybe if you could give us a little bit more color on what's happening in oncology. Growth does look a little bit slower this quarter than it has been in the past. Is there something going on in this segment?
And also, I mean, again it was an impressive SG&A leverage that you managed to achieve this quarter as well, can you also comment a little bit on how you get savings and to what degree we can expect those savings to continue in the future? Thank you.
Timothy Ring
Okay. I will turn it over to John there to deal with the oncology trend question and then Todd can you answer the SG&A expense control question.
John Weiland
I think we did say in the comments earlier that we had particularly tough comps in prior years based on the launches of the number of products within the oncology space. And as you know, we are really a story about new product launches and we have one major new product launch in the fourth quarter and that's the POWERPICC Solo, which we think has a very unique position and a great space. So, no, we don't think it's a -- it was a little below our normal run rate in terms of oncology, but we don't think that's a long-term issue for us.
Operator
Thank you. And our next question from the line of Matthew Dodds.
Timothy Ring
Let me just?
Todd Schermerhorn
Matt, let me just, if you would, I'll go back and answer the second part of that question. And that is, as it relates SG&A, it's really no magic. I mean as you guys know that sales growth was going to be able to light for the quarter and basically we pulled back a little bit relative to spending. I think we have good control and good capability to control when we need to, and this isn't the first time we've demonstrated that.
As it relates to the future, I mean, I guess when it comes to financial guidance, the only future we're going to talk about right now would be the fourth quarter, since we'll give full year guidance for 2008 in December. And I would suspect that SG&A will look very similar to what it looks like this period, maybe a tad higher. But, I would expect the same type of cost consciousness as go through the fourth quarter. Okay.
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