Irving,TX, June 14, 2018 - Choice Cancer Care has added a new technology for men choosing to undergo radiation therapy for prostate cancer. The new addition, SpaceOAR hydrogel, is a protective spacer between the prostate and the rectum. It has been clinically proven to reduce the risk of side effects during and after radiation treatment.

Choice Cancer Care, based in Irving, is a practice recognized by a national organization. Choice Cancer Care has been certified through the QOPI Certification Program (QCP™), an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).By choosing a practice that is currently certified by QCP, you know that you’ve selected a practice that is committed to delivering the highest quality of cancer care.

“We are excited to offer this new technology to our patients”, says Dr. Gregory Echt, founder and lead surgeon at Choice Cancer Care. “Using SpaceOAR hydrogel can enhance the radiation treatment tobetter target the cancer while preserving healthy tissue tohelp ensure that the rectal, urinary and sexual quality oflife will be maintained for our patients.”

In April 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared SpaceOAR hydrogel. In a prospective, randomized, multi-center clinical trial in the United States, patients treated with SpaceOAR hydrogel prior to prostate cancer radiation treatment demonstrated bowel, urinary, and sexual benefits through a median of three years of follow-up. The study found that the patients that did not receive SpaceOAR hydrogel experienced a clinically significant decline in bowel, urinary, and sexual quality of life eight times more often than patients that received SpaceOAR hydrogel. It is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure with local or general anesthesia. Patients can immediately resume their normal activities. The gel stays in place for approximately three months and is then naturally absorbed and cleared in the urine in about six months. (1,2)

For more information, visit https://choicecancercare.com/or SpaceOAR.com.

1. DA Hamstra, N Mariados, J Sylvester, et al. Continued Benefit to Rectal Separation for Prostate Radiation Therapy: Final Results of a Phase III Trial. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys; 2017 Apr 1; 97(5): 976-985
2. DA Hamstra, et al. Sexual Quality of Life Following Prostate Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) with a Rectal/Prostate Spacer: Secondary Analysis of a Phase III Trial. Published online: July 19, 2017 Practical Radiation Oncology.

Risks associated with the implantation of SpaceOAR hydrogel:
In addition to the risks associated with any medical procedure there are potential complications that may be associated with the use of the SpaceOAR System that include, but are not limited to: pain or discomfort associated with SpaceOAR hydrogel; needle penetration or injection of SpaceOAR hydrogel into the bladder, prostate, rectal wall, rectum or urethra; local inflammatory reactions; infection; injection of air, fluid or SpaceOAR hydrogel intravascularly; urinary retention; rectal mucosal damage, ulcers, necrosis; bleeding, constipation; and rectal urgency.

About Choice Cancer Care
Choice Cancer Care is an independent, physician-owned cancer center network. Dr. Gregory Echt, a radiation oncologist with over two decades of experience, is the founder of Choice Cancer Care. Choice Cancer Care is among the busiest practices in the country for brachytherapy, or prostate seed implant therapy – a cancer treatment plan for prostate cancer that provides remarkable success rates and fewer life-limiting side effects.