Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Offers Radioactive Seed Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

New Brunswick, NJ -- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital now offers radioactive seed implant therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer as part of its comprehensive range of cancer treatment services. Radioactive seed implantation, also known as prostate brachytherapy, provides an effective treatment for men with localized prostate cancer.


“We are excited about this joint oncology partnership among RWJUH, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and we anticipate future growth in this clinical area,” said Murali Ankem, MD, a urologist in the Division of Urology/Department of Surgery and assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.


Radioactive seed implantation or brachytherapy as it is commonly known is a minimally invasive procedure which involves insertion of small radioactive seeds into the prostate where they target and eliminate the cancer from inside the gland. The seeds remain in the prostate permanently, and the radioactive material delivers localized radiation for a number of months to destroy the prostate cancer. New advances in ultrasound technology and radiation seeds (stranded seeds) allow surgeons to place seeds in a more precise location in the prostate. Seed implantation requires no surgical incision and offers men a shorter recovery time. Brachytherapy can be an outpatient procedure, and most men go home the same day as their treatment. Additionally, most men can return to their normal activities a few days after treatment.


Dr. Ankem and Atif Khan, MD, MS, a radiation oncologist at CINJ and assistant professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, collaborated on the initial procedure performed at RWJUH. For more information about prostate seed therapy for prostate cancer, please call Dr. Ankem at (732) 235-8853 or Dr. Khan at (732) 253-3939.


In addition to brachytherapy, RWJUH offers a wide range of the latest cancer treatments and procedures including tomotherapy, and minimally invasive prostate cancer treatment using the da Vinci surgical robot. RWJUH is the flagship hospital of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. The hospital provides same-day chemotherapy, medical oncology, hematology-oncology, surgical oncology, bone marrow transplant and radiation therapy. RWJUH’s cancer program has also been accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.


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