SpaceOAR gel

I had the markers and SpaceOar done. No issues at all. 

Steve1961 said:

Hmm,

My stinking radiologist from the so called number 4 in the country cancer care didn't want to use the space Orr ..now I hsve rectal damage .thry say it should resolve in a month or 2

I had the gel inplanted. No issues. I am now just 8 treatments in. I can't believe a Dr. would not have just done it. Couldn't have hurt and could have only helped. 

My dad had the spaceoar done in December of 2018 and he ended up doing five rounds of Radiation therapy, after the last dose of radiation he began having issues he had a anal uretha fistula he suffered for months then had to have emergency surgery his bladder, prostate and rectum had to be removed he almost bled to death. The radiation oncologist said the Spaceoar caused and unusual inflammatory response in my dad's body and radiation made it worse. If anyone is on the fence about whether or not to get the Spaceoar or not please due your research, my dad's life has changed forever. 

I need to get some type of spacer Gel too.

Do they do that with sedation?

JP63, I have no idea what your history is or what treatment you have coming. If you are having a radiation treatment, usually the markers and Space OAR can be done at the same time. If you have had a biopsy then the procedure is much the same. Some have been put under general anesthesia. Some nothing but lidocaine. The RO gave me a Valium 30 minutes before the procedure. It didn’t take very long and was really a non-event. Some mild irritation for a couple of days from the needle insertion. Some feeling full in the rectum area when on the toilet and some loose stools for several weeks. The Gel is absorbed into the body in about 3 months. The Space OAR protects the rectum during the RA treatments. It is placed between the rectum and the prostate in liquid form and turns to a hardened GEL quickly. I have had no further SEs from the procedure.

JP63, I didn’t know you posted your history earlier on another thread. Seems like you have been through a lot recently, but no need to panic. Many have their biopsies sent for a second opinion to John Hopkins. Your findings could be higher or lower. In any case your 4+3 finding suggest a higher risk and probably the need for ADT. What was the size of your prostate? Sometimes if enlarged the RO will want to start the ADT before the RA treatment to shrink it some. You asked about movement of the prostate. The markers placement they put in before the treatment are put into a computer program. Before every treatment the techs will have the software determine the parameters of your prostate for the treatment that day. You will have to fill your bladder everyday to protect it and your GI tract will need to be somewhat empty. The treatment itself only takes a few minutes while on the table. You feel nothing. Space Oar is somewhat new, but the procedure is done while the RO looks at a screen to make sure the placement is correct. The one poster you mentioned with all of the bad outcomes is the only one I have heard about. Don’t stress out as you are on the right track to see many more trips around the sun.

I am a 78 yr old with 4.26 PSA diagnosed after biopsy with 4 of 12 cores with intermediate risk cancer. After MRI it was discovered that there was cancer in the neural vascular bundle and seminal vesicle on the one side which pushed the diagnosis into the high risk category. Originally I wanted robot assisted surgery but the urologist said he would not recommend surgery under these circumstances since I would have to have external beam radiation right after the surgery. Saw a radiation oncologist who prescribed hormonal therapy and started Lupron Dec 22, 2021 (3month shots). Had fiducial markers and SpaceOAR procedures on March 11, 2022 under anesthesia at the local hospital. Was in the hospital from 11 am to 3:30 pm. Had no pain or discomfort from the procedures. The two problems were removing the adhesive tape from the hair where the dressing covered the treatment site and getting the bowel system back on line. Had no bleeding at the treatment site. Forty five IMRT treatments began March 29 and to date I have completed 29 of the 45 treatments--16 to go. The original treatment plan called for 1.5-3 yrs of hormone treatment. Only side effect from Lupron has been ED. The struggle with IMRT treatments was meeting the challenge of clearing the bowel and filling the bladder before each treatment. The SpaceOAR and fiducial marker procedures turned out to be a non event for me and I would do it again in the blink of an eye under similar circumstances.