Reducing Side Effects of Prostate Cancer Treatment
You may know someone who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer (other than skin) occurring in American men. The chance of having prostate cancer needing treatment increases after age 50, with the majority of cases occurring in men 65 and older. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer are unlikely to die from the disease. Both surgery and radiation offer effective treatment for cancer localized to the prostate gland.
Creating space
Targeted radiation therapy is a form of treatment for localized prostate cancer. The prostate is located deep within the male pelvis, in front of the rectum and below the bladder. For this reason, multiple treatment techniques are utilized to protect the rectum and bladder from high-dose radiation.
Newer products like Barrigel and SpaceOARTM Hydrogel minimize the side effects of high-dose radiation. These rectal spacers create a space between the rectum and prostate, effectively displacing the rectum away from the prostate to reduce high-dose radiation damage to the rectum.
The University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center at Firelands Regional Medical Center began using rectal spacers for prostate cancer treatment in 2022 with the goal of reducing side effects and improving quality of life for our patients.
How it works
Placement of the rectal spacer is a minimally invasive procedure that takes place in the operating room, under light sedation, one to two weeks before the start of radiation.
The rectal spacer is initially liquid in a syringe, which is then injected in the connective tissue between the prostate and the rectum. The injected material becomes a gel-like cushion that gently displaces the rectum away from the prostate. The patient does not feel the rectal spacer after the procedure. Depending on the type of spacer used, it will be broken down in the body over a period of 6-18 months.
“Rectal spacers have been a positive development for our prostate cancer patients,” said Norleena Poynter, MD, radiation oncologist at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center at Firelands Regional Medical Center.
