Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix named Center of Excellence radioembolization for liver cancer treatment
PHOENIX, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix has been named the West Coast Center of Excellence for TheraSphere®, a microsphere liver cancer treatment. The Phoenix hospital is one of only three locations in the United States to earn the prestigious recognition for radioembolization procedures and will be a training site for physicians throughout the country.
"As leaders in interventional oncology treatments, we are thrilled to have been named a Center of Excellence," said Kevin Hirsch, MD, chairman of radiology at Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix. "This recognition will allow us to share our expertise with physicians nationwide, ultimately better serving those suffering with liver cancer."
The nonprofit facility was one of the first in the country to perform the procedure, which is a combination of radiation therapy and embolization, a minimally invasive procedure to deliver high dose radiation directly into tumors. TheraSphere microspheres are delivered through the artery feeding the liver and flow directly into the tumors. The radiation then kills the cancer cells with minimal the damage to surrounding healthy liver.
"We continue to have one of the highest case volumes in the U.S. for this procedure," said David Wood, MD, chief of interventional radiology. "We are honored to have the opportunity to share our expertise with up to 50 physicians/staff each quarter who will travel to Phoenix to learn about this complex, yet highly effective, therapy."
TheraSphere treatment is typically a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that does not require hospitalization. It is well tolerated by patients, with side-effects that are normally milder than with many other liver cancer treatments. TheraSphere treatment has some common side effects, including mild to moderate fatigue, pain and nausea that may occur throughout the first week after treatment. Physicians describe these symptoms as similar to those of the common flu. Some patients may experience loss of appetite and temporary changes in liver blood tests. For details on rare or more severe side effects, please refer to the TheraSphere package insert at www.therasphere.com
TheraSphere has been approved by the US FDA under a humanitarian use device exemption based upon its safety and probable benefit. Over 5000 treatments have been performed with TheraSphere in both routine liver cancer treatment and at research centers of excellence around the world. Physicians or patients in the US looking for more information should refer to the TheraSphere website TheraSphere.com.
Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix is a large teaching hospital that has provided medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. It is part of Banner - University Medicine. The hospital specializes in heart care, cancer care, high-risk obstetrics, neurosciences and stroke care, organ transplants and Emergency care, including a Level 1 trauma center. Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system with 28 hospitals in seven states. The institution, which has trained thousands of doctors over decades as a teaching hospital with Graduate Medical Education programs, is now the academic medical center for the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix. For more information, visit www.bannerhealth.com/UniversityPhoenix .
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SOURCE Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix
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