Arizona Center for Cancer Care Announces the Completion of Over 50 SpaceOAR® Hydrogel Applications
PHOENIX (PRWEB) June 28, 2018 -- Arizona Center for Cancer Care announces that they have completed over 50 applications of SpaceOAR hydrogel. The gel, used for prostate cancer radiotherapy, acts as a protective spacer between the prostate and the rectum. It has been clinically proven to reduce the risk of side effects from radiation treatment.
Arizona Center for Cancer Care was established in 1992 by Dr. Devinder Singh with the vision to become the first-ever multi-specialty cancer practice group in the West Valley. AZCCC succeeded in this goal by becoming the first of its kind to offer patients brachytherapy treatment. In 2010, they added their urology division.
"SpaceOAR Hydrogel is used to move the rectum away from the prostate during radiation therapy which decreases the dose of radiation it receives,” said Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Gregory Maggass, MD. “This will decrease acute and long-term rectal toxicity associated with prostate radiation therapy. This works both with external beam treatments and brachytherapy. We have also seen a decreased rate of erectile dysfunction and will use SpaceOAR hydrogel as these results continue."
In April 2015, SpaceOAR hydrogel received 510(k) clearance. 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 sexual benefits through three years of follow-up. The study found that the patients that did not receive SpaceOAR hydrogel experienced a clinically significant decline in bowel, urinary, and sexual quality of life eight times more often than patients that received SpaceOAR hydrogel. It is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure with local or general anesthesia. Patients can immediately resume their normal activities. The gel stays in place for approximately three months and is then naturally absorbed and cleared in the urine in about six months. (1,2)
“Following radiation therapy, prostate cancer radiation therapy patients often experience a decline in urinary, bowel and sexual function which in some cases can be extreme,” said Augmenix, Inc. President and CEO, John Pedersen. “We’re pleased that Arizona Center for Cancer Care recognizes the benefits of SpaceOAR hydrogel and will be using it to avoid these common side effects.”
For more information, visit arizonaccc.com or spaceoar.com.
1) DA Hamstra, N Mariados, J Sylvester, 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): 976-985
2) DA Hamstra, et al. Sexual Quality of Life Following Prostate Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) with a Rectal/Prostate Spacer: Secondary Analysis of a Phase III Trial. Published online: July 19, 2017 Practical Radiation Oncology.
SpaceOAR is intended to temporarily position the anterior rectal wall away from the prostate during radiotherapy for prostate cancer and in creating this space it is the intent of SpaceOAR hydrogel to reduce the radiation dose delivered to the anterior rectum. The SpaceOAR hydrogel is composed of biodegradable material and maintains space for the entire course of prostate radiotherapy treatment. It is completely absorbed by the patient’s body over time. Clinical data comparing patients with and without SpaceOAR hydrogel demonstrated the benefits of SpaceOAR hydrogel to include reduction of rectal toxicity resulting in improved bowel function, improvements in urinary function, and a higher likelihood to maintain sexual function. Potential complications associated with SpaceOAR hydrogel include but are not limited to pain associated with SpaceOAR hydrogel injection; pain or discomfort associated with SpaceOAR hydrogel, needle penetration of the bladder, prostate, rectal wall, rectum, or urethra; injection of SpaceOAR hydrogel into the bladder, prostate, rectal wall, rectum, or urethra; local inflammatory reactions; infection; injection of air, fluid or SpaceOAR hydrogel intravascularly; urinary retention; rectal mucosal damage, ulcers, necrosis; bleeding; constipation; and rectal urgency.
MEDIA CONTACT:
April Renzella
781-902-1621
ARenzella(at)augmenix.com
April Renzella, Augmenix, INC., http://SpaceOAR.com, 781-902-1621, [email protected]
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