July 21, 2016, McKesson -- Arizona Oncology, a practice in The US Oncology Network, is helping to pioneer a new tool proven to protect prostate cancer patients from the negative effects of radiation therapy. SpaceOAR hydrogel is the first FDA-cleared spacing device to protect the rectum in men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

SpaceOAR® hydrogel is a temporary injectable gel that protects the rectum in men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer, decreasing the likelihood of side effects. It is intended to temporarily position the anterior rectal wall away from the prostate during radiotherapy for prostate cancer, creating space to protect the rectum from radiation exposure. Arizona Oncology is the first treatment center in Southern Arizona to adopt the advanced technology.

“Providing the best possible treatment to patients is our top priority, which is why we are one of the first centers offering SpaceOAR hydrogel,” said Curtis Mack, M.D., radiation oncologist with Arizona Oncology. “Creating space between the prostate and rectum is an important advance that significantly diminishes the rectal dose during radiation treatments, and thereby reduces the likelihood of side effects. Currently, I am using it on patients being treated with daily intensity modulated radiation therapy as well as those patients who choose brachytherapy (Seed Implant)."

Because of the close proximity of the prostate to the rectum, prostate radiation therapy always results in some radiation to the rectum causing side effects in some patients. The SpaceOAR System creates space and pushes the rectum away from the prostate and the high dose area. It is placed through a small needle, as a liquid, but quickly solidifies into a soft gel that expands the space between the prostate and rectum. The hydrogel spacer maintains this space fully for about three months by which time the radiation therapy is complete, then liquefies and is absorbed and cleared from the body by 6 months leaving no trace behind.

"I have found the space that is created to be between 7 and 12 mm, which is significant when you consider the normal 3 mm margin,” said Dr. Mack. “The availability of this product is essential for treating patients with stereotactic treatment where we deliver just 5 external treatments at a very high dose instead of the usual 39 to 44 treatments.”

According to the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is second only to skin cancer as the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men with an estimated 220,800 new cases and 27,540 deaths in the U.S. in 2015 alone. Worldwide, prostate cancer is expected to grow to 1.7 million new cases and 499,000 deaths by 2030.

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