John Theurer Cancer Center brings together leading neuro-oncology experts to present key trends

Oncologists from top cancer institutions provide overview on new neuro-oncology guidelines

HACKENSACK, N.J. (April 5, 2010) —John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center will bring together top neuro-oncologists from around the country a symposium to address new treatment updates and review management of complex cases across a broad array of neuro-oncology specialties.

The Sixth Annual Neuro-Oncology Symposium: Update of New Guidelines in Neuro-Oncology will take place on Friday, April 9. The program will feature neuro-oncology experts from leading cancer institutions, including M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Northwestern University Medical Center, and Arkansas Neuroscience Institute.

“John Theurer Cancer Center is dedicated to providing doctors and others in the medical community with the most up-to-date, innovative research in all fields of oncology, including neuro-oncology,” said Mark Pascal, M.D., Co- Chief, Neuro-Oncology, John Theurer Cancer Center. “For the sixth consecutive year, we are proud to bring together a group of highly esteemed oncologists to discuss the latest trends in our field.”

These neuro-oncology leaders will discuss an array of topics, including the latest in surgical techniques for complex intracranial meningiomas, quality of life measures for brain tumor patients, radiosurgery outcomes for benign and malignant spinal tumors and an update on exciting new cutting-edge treatments for glioblastoma.

Featured speakers include:

• Ossama Al-Mefty, M.D., F.A.C.S., Co-Director, Arkansas Neuroscience Institute
• Christina Meyers, Ph.D., A.B.P.P., Professor, Department of Neuro-Oncology and Leader, Section of Neuro-Psychology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
• Jeffrey Raizer, M.D., Associate Professor, Neuro-Oncology and Medical Director, Neuro-Oncology, Northwestern University Medical Center
• Yoshiya Yamada, M.D., Attending, Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Mark Pascal, M.D., Co- Chief, Neuro-Oncology, John Theurer Cancer Center
• Viswanathan Rajaraman, M.D., Co-Chief, Neuro-Oncology, John Theurer Cancer Center

This symposium is part of John Theurer Cancer Center’s ongoing commitment to provide extraordinary care through research and innovation. The neuro-oncology division includes one of the largest neuro-radiology services in the tri-state area to detect brain tumors. They also participate in a number of clinical trials and invest in state-of-the-art technology to improve patient outcomes. Most recently, the neuro-oncology division became one of 20 cancer centers in the United States to offer MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT). This highly-precise technology allows physicians to destroy only the targeted tissue, leaving healthy surrounding tissues unharmed.

“As we continue to grow, we are committed to adopting new innovations to enhance our neuro-oncology division, ultimately prolonging survival time while improving quality of life,” said Viswanathan Rajaraman, M.D., Co-Chief, Neuro-Oncology, John Theurer Cancer Center.

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This conference is open to the public, but primarily for neuro and medical oncologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiation therapists, neuro-radiologists and primary care physicians as well as other healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of brain and spinal tumor patients. The conference will be held from 7:30 am to 1:00 pm in the Hekemian Conference Center Auditorium located at Hackensack University Medical Center, 30 Prospect Ave., Hackensack, New Jersey. If you’re interested in attending please contact Bonnie LoGiudice at 201-996-4891 or blogiudiace@humed.com.

About John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center

John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center is New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive center dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, management, research, screenings, and preventive care as well as survivorship of patients with all types of cancer. The 15 specialized divisions covering the complete spectrum of cancer care have developed a close-knit team of medical, research, nursing, and support staff with specialized expertise that translates into more advanced, focused care for all patients. Each year, more people in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area turn to the John Theurer Cancer Center for cancer care than to any other facility in New Jersey. Housed within a 775-bed not-for-profit teaching, tertiary care, and research hospital, John Theurer Cancer Center provides state-of-the-art technological advances, compassionate care, research innovations, medical expertise, and a full range of after care services that distinguish John Theurer Cancer Center from other facilities.

Visualase To Be Awarded $2.1 Million For Prostate Cancer Research.

Visualase Inc. was selected for a $2.1 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The precision and control of the Visualase technology has made possible the ablation of tissue in areas such as brain and prostate.

Houston, TX  February 10, 2010 — Visualase Inc. announced today that it has been selected for a grant $2.1 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). On January 20, CPRIT Chief Science Officer Dr. Al Gilman, announced awards to 16 institutions based in Texas which are on the forefront of cancer research and treatment. Visualase is one of only two private companies to receive such a grant and stands with established cancer institutions such as The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and UT Health Science Centers, among others.

Visualase Technology. Brain image during treatment.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and we’re looking forward to accelerating our efforts in providing patients in Texas and across North America with better treatment options for prostate cancer. Doctors Ashok Gowda and Roger McNichols deserve all of the credit for not only developing our technology, but also collaborating with health professionals to make an immediate impact on improving patient outcomes,” CEO Bill Hoffman said.

The focus of the grant will be continued clinical exploration of focal treatment of cancerous tumors in the prostate, a treatment which could significantly reduce the rate of side-effects associated with conventional “whole gland” treatments, including prostatectomy and whole gland irradiation. The clinical study to be funded by the grant will be lead by a team from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The unprecedented level of precision and control afforded by the Visualase technology has made possible ablation of tissue in highly sensitive areas such as brain and prostate. Doctors are currently using the system for ablation of brain, prostate, liver, bone, and other solid tumors. For more information about the Visualase Technology and Visualase Inc., visit http://www.visualaseinc.com.

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Watching Tumors Die

Thursday, April 2, 2009
By Sarah Petrie

Above, from left: Kamran Ahrar, M.D., and R. Jason Stafford, Ph.D., discuss an upcoming spinal surgery that will use the Visualase technology. They’ll be able to watch the tumor fully die in near real time during the procedure. Depending on where the tumor is located, the patient may or may not be awake during the procedure.

History books show that surgeons began removing cancerous tumors as early as the second century. Zoom ahead to 2009, take away the scalpels, scars and side effects that typically accompany surgery, and trade them for a tiny laser beam that zaps cancer dead on the spot. It sounds like science fiction, but our researchers and clinicians are among the first in the nation to investigate a new procedure that does just this … and more.

“It’s called laser-induced thermal therapy, and the basic theory is that the laser heats the tumor to a certain temperature to kill it,” explains Jeffrey Weinberg, M.D., associate professor in Neurosurgery, who’s conducting a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of this procedure on patients with metastatic brain tumors.
How hot is too hot for a cancerous tumor? Sixty degrees Celsius, in most cases.

“The clinical trial targets patients with otherwise inoperable tumors or those for whom other treatments failed,” Weinberg says. “This is possible because tissues surrounding the tumor aren’t harmed or affected with this procedure — an advantage over other types of brain surgeries for cancer, including radiosurgery.”

Delivering laser energy using a device only millimeters in diameter, the procedure leaves a scar no bigger than your thumb. Plus, there should be no side effects for this less-invasive surgery, which takes only a few hours from start to finish. “The laser portion should only take a few minutes, and patients will experience no swelling and little pain,” Weinberg adds.

Other forms of what also is known as ablation therapy already are in practice, killing tumors using heat, cold or electricity. So what makes this particular procedure so revolutionary? The physician actually watches the tumor die in real time, according to Kamran Ahrar, M.D., associate professor in Interventional Radiology, who has performed the procedure on a few patients with bone and spinal tumors as part of a similar clinical trial.

Weinberg agrees this is the biggest advantage of this method over other forms of treatment. “Patients don’t have to wait weeks or months for tests to confirm if the entire tumor is gone, as is the case with most surgeries. Instead, using this technology, we can convert magnetic resonance imaging into a color picture that indicates the temperature of the tissue,” he says. “This allows us to know exactly when the tumor is hot enough to fully die.”

How does it work?

Houston-based company Visualase Inc., which sells the technology, approached M. D. Anderson in 2000 for help with developing the tool. “For this procedure to be successful, the doctors must know the precise location and distribution of temperature in the tumor and that’s where the physicists come in the picture,” explains R. Jason Stafford, Ph.D., assistant professor in Imaging Physics, and lead consultant on the Visualase technology development for M. D. Anderson.

In other words, a stereotactic navigation system, “like a GPS for your brain” as Weinberg puts it, pinpoints the exact location and size of the tumor. After the surgeon drills a hole and sends the specially designed fiber directly to the tumor, the laser is activated, thus heating the tumor. Doing it in the MRI allows clinicians to monitor temperatures within the tissue. “Temperature as well as predicted regions of complete treatment are color-coded on a screen, giving us the ability to adjust or retreat a certain area, as needed,” Stafford adds.

And at M. D. Anderson, this entire procedure can be performed in one room, unlike at other institutions that also are researching the procedure. We have a dedicated intra-operative MRI suite, which is safer for patients than moving them to different locations to complete the procedure.