Effective in reducing the risk of rectal radiation exposure during external radiation therapy for prostate cancer, the synthetic absorbable SpaceOAR spacer is now reimbursed by the National Health Insurance. Offer to patients.
With 48,400 new cases annually, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men. It is also the third leading cause of cancer death in men with 9,000 deaths each year in France.
At a favorable or intermediate stage, non-surgical patients are often treated with external radiotherapy. In this case, spacers are placed between the prostate and the rectum which makes it possible to treat prostate cancer while protecting the surrounding tissues from radiation.
“Many devices of this type exist, but the SpaceOAR absorbable synthetic hydrogel spacer is the first to benefit from reimbursement in France, because it has been shown to be effective in reducing induced radiotoxicity,” says Dr. Igor Latourzev, radiotherapist and board member of the French Society. For Radiation Therapy and Oncology: “It’s a small revolution that will allow us to better treat patients with compromised organs.”
Reducing anal, intestinal, urinary and sexual side effects
Already now, despite the use of modern radiotherapy techniques, for 10% to 15% of patients, the rate of residual rectal toxicity has persisted beyond grade II. We are talking here about late toxicity that appears two years after the end of treatment. “With this type of device, grade II toxicity only affects 1 to 2 percent of patients,” according to the doctor. This advance thus improves the quality of life of treated patients, by reducing the anorectal, intestinal, urinary and sexual side effects that radiotherapy can cause.
Fitting this minimally invasive device takes about ten minutes under local anesthesia and is performed on an outpatient basis. “The gel that is injected between the rectum and the prostate hardens immediately but this internal crystallization is not felt by the patient,” the specialist describes. It stays in place for three months, the duration of treatment, and then is naturally absorbed by the body within six months. »
