Mild rectal wall infiltration after SpaceOAR placement.

[ColoradoSky]

Hello,

This is my first post, but I have found so much helpful information here previously. Thank you all for sharing your stories and your wisdom!

My husband will be receiving MRI guided SBRT radiation treatment at UCLA in a few days. We just received the MRI results taken after the SpaceOAR placement and the radiologist indicated that the SpaceOAR gel shows mild infiltration of the anterior rectal wall.

How common is this? How concerning is this? Has anyone experienced this side effect prior to SBRT and did you experience significant side effects after radiation treatment?

I was feeling very confident in my husband’s decision to go with mri guided SBRT, but I’m very concerned now.

[BanjoPicker]

This is a case study that you should be aware of:

Hydrogel Spacer Rectal Wall Infiltration Associated With Severe Rectal Injury and Related Complications After Dose Intensified Prostate Cancer Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy

Mark F. McLaughlin, MD, PhDa ∙ Michael R. Folkert, MD, PhDa ∙ Robert D. Timmerman, MDa ∙ Raquibul Hannan, MDa ∙ Aurelie Garant, MDa ∙ Steven J. Hudak, MDb ∙ Daniel N. Costa, MDc ∙ Neil B. Desai, MD

Advances in Radiation Oncology, Volume 6, Issue 4, 100713

[mchale]

I’m sorry to hear, I’m having MRI guided Linac SBRT On the Unity Electra next week.

I opted out for this specific reason, my RO said I didn’t need it.

[mchale in reply to mchale]

finished my 5 sessions 15 days ago, minimal side effects, no bowel issues actually baseline issues have got better....go figure.

[MarkS]

According to this study, rectal wall infiltration (RWI) is not a problem:

advancesradonc.org/article/...

The conclusion is "Based on data from a RCT, RWI did not contribute to increased rectal toxicity prior and up to 15 months after conventional prostate cancer RT". The hydrogel is simply absorbed back into the body.

[diatom]

This happened to me six years ago with no serious problems. I’m still doing fine.