Beaumont In Two Cancer Treatment Advances
Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak announced two major advances in cancer treatment Thursday.
First, the hospital said it was one of only a few hospitals in the United States performing total minimally invasive esophagectomy to treat esophageal cancer and various benign and pre-cancerous disorders of the esophagus.
Also, the hospital announced is the third hospital in the world to use a new microwave ablation system to treat cancer.
First, the esophagus treatment: A total minimally invasive esophagectomy is a procedure performed entirely through one-centimeter incisions in the upper abdomen and chest. A long, thin camera is inserted, and the surgeon, operating with the aid of a video screen, uses specialized instruments to remove the diseased esophagus and bring the stomach into the chest, to replace the removed section of the esophagus.
This less invasive approach offers many advantages. The magnification of the camera allows for superior visualization, while the smaller incisions minimize post-operative problems with pain, swallowing and pneumonia. Complication rates and recovery time are reduced as compared with standard techniques involving a series of large incisions in the abdomen, chest and neck.
Michael Coello, M.D., co-director of Beaumont's Center for Reflux and Esophageal Cancer Prevention and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, is one of four highly specialized thoracic surgeons at Beaumont, Royal Oak trained to perform total minimally invasive esophagectomy.
"Our goal is to perform not only a good, sound operation for cancer, but also to do it in a way that is easier on the patient with less pain and a quicker recovery," Coello said. "We hope to improve survival for people diagnosed with esophageal cancer by reducing complication rates and recovery time, and allowing patients to better tolerate aggressive multimodality therapy -- a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy."
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Beaumont's Physician Referral Service at (800) 633-7377.
Cancer of the esophagus is a growing concern because it has the fastest growing incidence rate of all cancers in the western hemisphere. Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, which is becoming more prevalent in the United States, is a major risk factor for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma, a particular type of cancer that has increased 350 percent in recent years. According to the American Cancer Society, esophageal cancer accounted for 16,640 new cases and 14,500 deaths in 2010.
Beaumont's Surgery department offers patients the latest minimally invasive technology and treatments, with care provided by highly trained physicians, nurses and technicians. Beaumont, Royal Oak is one of the highest-volume surgery centers in the country.
As for the microwave ablation system for tumor treatment, Michael Savin, M.D., interventional radiologist, performed Beaumont's first two minimally invasive procedures using the MicroThermX Microwave Ablation System.
Following the procedure, patients usually go home the next day.
"This is a promising, new technology to treat liver cancer," Savin said. "It's good to have one more tool in our treatment toolbox. MicroThermX has many advantages -- quick set up, ease of use and possibly less side effects. It may prove to be the best option for treating large, inoperable liver and lung tumors more predictably."
The new ablation system kills cancer cells with microwaves. Other ablation treatments use lasers, radiofrequency energy, freezing gas or electricity to burn, freeze or otherwise kill the cancer tissue. These image-guided therapies usually require little time in the hospital. According to Savin, patients undergoing microwave ablation can usually go home the following day and in some cases, the same day.
The procedure is done under general anesthesia or sedation. Guided by ultrasound or CT images, the physician places a needle applicator into the tumor. Depending on the size of the tumor, the microwave energy usually destroys the cancer in 10 to 15 minutes. Patients may experience less pain afterwards.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the MicroTherm X, made by BSD Medical Corp., for ablation of soft tissue.
For more information on microwave ablation treatments call (248) 898-4028.
More at www.beaumonthospitals.com.
