Royal Surrey introduces rectal sparing hydrogel

Brachytherapy nurse specialist Claire Deering, lead urology/brachytherapy nurse specialist Donna Higgins, professor of urology and clinical director Professor Stephen Langley, consultant clinical oncologist Carla Perna and Oncology Systems Limited clinical specialist Serafine O’Brien.

St Luke’s Cancer Centre, part of the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has transformed the way it delivers prostate brachytherapy with the use of SpaceOAR from Oncology Systems Limited.  The hydrogel, placed between the prostate and rectum has enabled the cancer centre to provide prostate brachytherapy to patients with cases that would usually have been considered a contraindication or those who have previously received external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

Clinical director for urology Professor Stephen Langley said: “SpaceOAR acts as a natural extension to our existing brachytherapy treatment and in future, it would be hard not to justify using it.  It has given us the confidence to treat patients with low dose rate brachytherapy who we would not usually treat, including those with inflammatory bowel disease and a salvage EBRT patient.  They had few other treatment options and SpaceOAR significantly reduced the radiation dose we gave to the rectal mucosa.  This is a new application for us but the results are already promising and the patients are doing very well.”

See the full report on page 6 of the April 2017 issue of RAD Magazine.