02 Jun SPACEOAR™ HYDROGEL TO BENEFIT PATIENTS UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER

Posted at 13:41h in Cancer by

NOW OFFERING SPACEOAR™ HYDROGEL TO BENEFIT PATIENTS UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER

 

Pendleton, OR: Eastern Oregon Cancer Center at Pendleton (EOCC) announced today it has added a new pre-treatment option, SpaceOAR™ Hydrogel – the first and only FDA-cleared spacer to help reduce the radiation dose delivered to the rectum of men undergoing radiation treatment for prostate cancer. Because of the proximity of the prostate gland to the rectum, radiation therapy can cause unintended damage to the rectum. SpaceOAR Hydrogel is a bio-absorbable gel inserted via a minimally invasive procedure that creates a temporary space between the prostate and the rectum – allowing substantial reductions in radiation dose to the rectum. The hydrogel spacer remains in place for about three months. After about six months, the hydrogel is fully absorbed and cleared from the body.

“SpaceOAR Hydrogel is one of the greatest advances in technology for prostate radiation in over a decade,” says Dr. Juno Choe, radiation oncologist and medical director of EOCC. “This bioabsorbable gel can be placed between the prostate gland and rectum in the office, often in less than 30 minutes. In clinical trials, SpaceOAR has been shown to improve long term bowel, urinary, and sexual quality of life after prostate radiation. I have had good results using SpaceOAR hydrogel in my clinical practice over the past couple of years, and we are proud to offer it at Eastern Oregon Cancer Center at Pendleton.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men (after skin cancer), with more than 183,000 new cases diagnosed each year.1 More than 60,000 American men opt to treat their prostate cancer with radiation every year.2 In a randomized clinical study, men who underwent radiation therapy without SpaceOAR Hydrogel were eight times more likely to experience a decline in bowel, urinary and sexual function when compared to men who underwent radiation therapy with SpaceOAR Hydrogel, at a median follow-up of three years.3.4

SpaceOAR Hydrogel is made up of two liquids that – when combined – form a soft gel material mostly made of water. Studies have shown that the material is biocompatible, that it can be used in the body without causing injury or reaction, and it can also be safely absorbed by the body. The material that SpaceOAR Hydrogel is made from has been used in other implants such as surgical sealants used in the eye, brain, and spine.
FDA clearance was granted for SpaceOAR Hydrogel following completion of a prospective, multicenter, randomized clinical trial. SpaceOAR patients experienced a significant reduction in rectal radiation dose and severity of late rectal toxicity when compared to control patients who did not receive SpaceOAR Hydrogel. The full pivotal clinical trial results have been published in the peer-reviewed Red Journal.5

Eastern Oregon Cancer Center at Pendleton is a freestanding radiation oncology center located at 1713 SW 24th Street in Pendleton, Oregon. The center offers state-of-the-art treatment for a wide range of cancers and other conditions. For more information, please visit www.PendletonCancer.com.

 

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1. Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html. Accessed February 13, 2019.
2. Treatment for Prostate Cancer: External-Beam Radiation Therapy. Prostate Cancer Foundation. https://www.pcf.org/c/treatment-for-prostate-cancer-external-beam-radiationtherapy/. Accessed February 13, 2019.
3. Hamstra DA, Mariados N, Sylvester J, et al. Continued benefit to rectal separation for prostate radiation therapy: Final results of a phase III trial. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2017 Apr 1;97(5):976-85.
4. Hamstra D, Shah D, Kurtzman S, et al. Evaluation of sexual function on a randomized trial of a prostate rectal spacer. J Clin Oncol. 2017 February 20;35(Suppl 6):69.
5. Mariados N, Sylvester J, Shah D, et al. Hydrogel spacer prospective multicenter randomized controlled pivotal trial: Dosimetric and clinical effects of perirectal spacer application in
men undergoing prostate image guided intensity modulated radiation therapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2015 Aug 1;92(5):971-7.