SpaceOAR

Your physician may recommend radiation therapy to treat your prostate cancer. SpaceOAR hydrogel is an option for men who undergo radiation treatment for prostate cancer. It acts as a spacer providing space between the rectum and the prostate, making it much less likely that the rectum is exposed to radiation. It is injected into place prior to the start of radiation treatment. Typically, this is done with a short outpatient procedure under general anesthesia. SpaceOAR hydrogel is minimally invasive, remains stable during radiation therapy and then is gradually absorbed by the body after radiation therapy has been completed.

Clinical trials in Europe and the U.S. have demonstrated that the hydrogel is safe and that the space created significantly reduces the radiation delivered to the rectum. The randomized SpaceOAR hydrogel U.S. clinical trial found that patients who received the hydrogel spacer reported significantly less rectal pain during radiotherapy and had significantly less severe long-term rectal complications. In addition, patients with SpaceOAR had less urinary and sexual complaints compared to those without SpaceOAR.