Florida Hospital Waterman First in Lake County to Offer New Spacing Device to Benefit Prostate Cancer Patients

Florida Hospital Waterman Cancer Institute is using a new tool proven to protect prostate cancer patients from side effects of radiation therapy.

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.

Recently, the first patient at Florida Hospital Waterman Cancer Institute was injected with SpaceOAR hydrogel, the first FDA cleared spacing device to protect the rectum in men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer. SpaceOAR System 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. Florida Hospital Waterman Cancer Institute is the first treatment center in Lake County to adopt the advanced technology.

Because of its close proximity to the prostate, rectal side effects can occur after prostate radiation therapy. The SpaceOAR System creates space and pushes the rectum away from the prostate and the high dose area. Placed through a small needle, the hydrogel is administered 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 until radiation therapy is complete. The spacer then liquefies and is absorbed and cleared from the body in the patients urine.

The Space OAR hydrogel placement is tolerated well, and we have level 1 clinical evidence to show that it decreases side effects and improves quality of life after radiation therapy to the prostate. We are excited to offer SpaceOAR and extend this benefit to our prostate cancer patients. says Anudh Jain, M.D., radiation oncologist at Florida Hospital Waterman Cancer Institute.