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With recent advances and the latest technology, board-certified radiation oncologists at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, have specialized treatment options that are less invasive and more sophisticated than ever when it comes to helping treat prostate cancer.
“We’re quick to implement new standards of care that benefit patients, and we have a large arsenal of technology to help us. No two patients are treated alike,” says Alison Grann, MD, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at The Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center as well as Director of Network Integration and Quality, Radiation Oncology, Northern Region RWJBH.
Depending on whether the cancer has spread and how aggressive it is, treatment options for prostate cancer include radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy or some combination of those, along with other adjuvant therapies to keep the cancer from returning.
CBMC offers CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery, which is a safe, noninvasive alternative to surgery that delivers beams of high-dose radiation to tumors with extreme precision, sparing healthy tissue. Treatment for prostate cancer usually requires five sessions, each one lasting 25 to 40 minutes, and is an effective option for many patients.
CBMC also offers the SpaceOAR® System for prostate cancer patients, and the Radiation Oncology Department at CBMC was one of the first hospitals in the area to utilize it. While radiation treatment has become more targeted, one of the biggest risks of radiation therapy of the prostate is injury to the rectum due to its proximity.
The SpaceOAR System is a temporary hydrogel spacer that’s injected between the rectum and prostate to increase the area between the two. The gel doesn’t interfere with treatment but acts as a barrier. It remains in place for up to six months, after which it’s reabsorbed into the body.
In addition, CBMC has a history of treating prostates with radiopharmaceuticals such as Xofigo and has more recently added PLUVICTO®. Xofigo is used on some prostate cancers that have metastasized to bone. It consists of six, one-minute intravenous injections over five months.
PLUVICTO® is indicated for the treatment of men with an advanced prostate cancer called prostate-specific membrane antigen - positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PSMA-positive mCRPC). It is an option for someone with PSMA-positive mCRPC that has spread to other parts of the body, and who has already been treated with other anticancer treatments. PLUVICTO® is administered intravenously every six weeks for up to six doses.
The Department of Radiation Oncology at CBMC has a large array of sophisticated, state-of-the-art technology for treatment, imaging, planning and delivery of cancer care. At the Department of Radiation Oncology, board-certified radiation oncologists are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to deliver state-of-the-art cancer treatment. A multidisciplinary team of radiation oncologists and medical oncologists work together to design individualized treatment plans tailored to the needs of each patient. CBMC prides itself on their ability to provide a caring and supportive environment for all of their patients and their families.