Lancashire Telegraph by Ben Butler 8/29/2019
SURGEONS at a hospital are the first in the region to use 'space' technology to treat cancer patients. The surgeons performed the SpaceOAR hydrogel insertion in a 62-year-old patient during a 30 minutes procedure at Burnley General Hospital recently.
The new technology is a hydrogel which creates space between the rectum and the prostate, making it must less likely that the rectum is exposed to radiation.
Made mostly of water, SpaceOAR is injected before treatment starts and then remains in place during radiation therapy, before being naturally absorbed by the body after about six months.
East Lancashire Hospitals Trust said the technology has major benefits for patients receiving radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer.
The trust said it can also protect the long-term quality of life for men who have problems with bowel, urinary and erectile dysfunction.
More:
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/17869986.east-lancashire-hospitals-first-introduce-39-space-39-technology-cancer-patients/
