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St. Mary�����Ƶ�s is the first cancer center in West Virginia and one of the first centers nationwide to adopt the advanced technology.

�����Ƶ�Providing the best possible treatment to patients is our top priority, which is why St. Mary�����Ƶ�s is one of the first centers offering SpaceOAR hydrogel,�����Ƶ� said Sanjeev Sharma, MD, board certified radiation oncologist at St. Mary�����Ƶ�s.

Radiation therapy, which uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells, is a common and highly effective treatment for prostate cancer. The most common side effect of prostate cancer radiation treatment is damage to the rectum, which is located just below the prostate. In up to 85 percent of cases, prostate tumors form in the lower part of the prostate in the area closest to the rectal wall. This close proximity means that radiation delivered to the prostate tumor often impacts the rectum. Potential damage caused by radiation exposure to the rectum can result in bowel complications, such as diarrhea, bleeding and pain. These side effects can be temporary or last for years.

Because of the radiation side effects, physicians have struggled with how to deliver enough radiation to kill the prostate cancer cells without harming the rectum. SpaceOAR solves this problem.

The SpaceOAR System is a temporary injectable gel that protects the rectum in men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer. It is the first and only prostate cancer spacing device to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance. The System is placed in a patient prior to radiation therapy through a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure. The SpaceOAR hydrogel is injected through a small needle into the space between the prostate and the rectum while the patient is under local or general anesthesia. Ultrasound imaging allows the physician to see and place the hydrogel in the proper location. The hydrogel is administered as a liquid, but quickly solidifies into a soft gel that expands the space between the prostate and rectum. After radiation treatment is complete, the hydrogel turns into a liquid, is absorbed and naturally cleared from the body.

By creating a half inch of space between the prostate and rectum. SpaceOAR hydrogel pushes the rectum away from the radiation.

�����Ƶ�Creating space between the prostate and rectum is an important advance that significantly protects the rectum during radiation treatments, and reduces the likelihood of side effects,�����Ƶ� Dr. Sharma said.

In clinical trials, patients who received SpaceOAR were significantly less likely to experience long-term bowel quality of life issues�����Ƶ�such as diarrhea, rectal urgency and incontinence, than patients who did not receive SpaceOAR System. �����Ƶ a result, SpaceOAR System helped these men to maintain their normal activities and lifestyle.

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 220,880 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.

�����Ƶ�Men facing prostate cancer may have some difficult decisions to make, but utilizing SpaceOAR hydrogel during radiation therapy should not be one of them,�����Ƶ� Dr. Sharma said.

For more information about SpaceOAR, call St. Mary�����Ƶ�s Radiation Oncology at (304) 526-1143.