St. Barnabas Using New Tool To Battle Prostate Cancer

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The Radiation Oncology Department at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston has a new tool to aid its staff in the battle against prostate cancer: the SpaceOAR system.

According to the hospital, it is the first in the Livingston area to utilize SpaceOAR for patients receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

“While radiation treatment has become significantly more targeted, one of the biggest risks of radiation therapy of the prostate is injury to the rectum due to its close proximity to the prostate,” said Alison Grann, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Saint Barnabas Medical Center.

According to Grann, SpaceOAR is a temporary hydrogel spacer that is injected between the rectum and the prostate to increase the area between the two structures. The gel acts as a buffer and barrier to the rectum, and remains in place for up to three months, after which time it is reabsorbed into the body.

The product has been found in clinical trials to reduce damage to the rectum and minimize other side effects, Grann said.

Other modern radiation delivery technology that St. Barnabas has brought to the fight against cancer include the CyberKnife, a robotic radiosurgery system that uses advanced computer guidance software to target cancerous lesions with more precision.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Livingston Facebook page here.

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Shutterstock