There have been incredible advances in radiation therapy during the past 30 years.
These innovations primarily involve improved abilities to visualize the cancerous target and contour high doses of radiation around the harmful spot, thereby decreasing radiation to surrounding normal tissues.
A new procedure is available that allows doctors to escalate the radiation dose and increase cure rates, while decreasing side effect and complication rates simultaneously.
SpaceOAR hydrogel is a groundbreaking product for men choosing to undergo radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Applied during a minimally invasive procedure, the hydrogel acts as a protective spacer between the prostate and the rectum. The SpaceOAR procedure moves most of the rectum away from the prostate and therefore away from where the high doses of radiation are being given. It has been clinically proven to reduce the risk of side effects from radiation treatment and, in April 2015, the Food and Drug Administration cleared SpaceOAR hydrogel.
In a prospective, randomized, multi-center clinical trial in the United States, patients treated with SpaceOAR hydrogel prior to prostate cancer radiation treatment demonstrated bowel, urinary, and intimacy benefits through three years of follow-up. The study found that the patients who did not receive SpaceOAR hydrogel experienced a clinically significant decline in bowel, urinary, and intimacy quality of life eight times more often than patients that received the procedure.
The outpatient procedure requires only local or general anesthesia. Patients can immediately resume their normal activities upon completing the procedure. The gel stays in place for approximately three months and is then naturally absorbed and cleared in the urine in about six months.
Locally, more than 15 men have had this procedure. It has essentially allowed doctors to successfully plan treatments with significantly lower rectal doses than if they did not have the SpaceOAR.
The patients have all tolerated the procedure well, with very few noticing minor side effects. A few have observed a full feeling in the rectum that has gone away within a couple of days after the SpaceOAR was put in.
There is always a risk of rectal bleeding or complications to the rectum from prostate radiation. In radiation therapy, we are especially alert when we give high doses of radiation at one time, as we do with CyberKnife radiation therapy. Another benefit of SpaceOAR is if we want to try to dose-escalate and increase the cure rate. We have used this procedure in combination with seed implants, which is another popular form of radiotherapy. When both the seed implant and external beam radiation therapy are done, there is also a high dose to the rectum. Using the SpaceOAR has allowed us to significantly decrease that respective dosage.
In 2018, approximately 1,200 Nevadans will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. And, for these patients as well as patients who are currently in the heart of their battle, the SpaceOAR procedure is a game changer.