For Immediate Release
April 21, 2004

ST. AGNES CANCER CENTER OFFERING
REVOLUTIONARY CANCER TREATMENTS

Different Techniques Offer Highly Successful Treatment

(Baltimore, MD) - Approximately 24,000 Marylanders are diagnosed with cancer each year. With this number on the rise, the need for new and more effective treatments that will combat various cancers quickly and efficiently is greater than ever before. St. Agnes Cancer Center, one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the state of Maryland, continues to introduce innovative and highly successful treatments to fight cancer.

For some St. Agnes patients, these treatments literally meant the difference between life and death. Eleven years ago, Barbara Wilinski was diagnosed with inoperable abdominal cancer at another hospital and given one month to live. In a desperate attempt to save her life, Barbara agreed to Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (IPHC), a highly aggressive surgical treatment for cancers of the abdomen that is performed at St. Agnes HealthCare. More than a decade and two grandchildren later, Barbara Wilinski is still going strong. And IPHC is gaining momentum nationwide as a revolutionary approach to surgical oncology.

"Treatment for cancer is continually evolving," said Carole Miller, M.D., Director of the St. Agnes Cancer Center, "Constantly introducing state-of-the-art cancer treatments allows us to stay on the cutting edge and maintain the level of excellence that has become synonymous with St. Agnes HealthCare."

Some of the newest and most groundbreaking methods being offered at St. Agnes include:

Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (IPHC)
IPHC, a highly aggressive surgical treatment for abdominal cancer is a procedure using heated, highly concentrated doses of chemotherapy in conjunction with extensive surgical tumor removal to treat pervasive cancers of the abdominal cavity.

The heated chemotherapy is applied internally during surgery once the multiple tumors have been removed, so that the surgeon can control the application of the chemotherapy and minimize damage to healthy tissues. The entire operation is complicated and lengthy, taking from 10-20 hours to perform, and outside of the National Institutes of Health, is not available at any other hospital in Maryland.

MammoSite Clinical Trial
This study offers breast cancer patients a new procedure for partial breast irradiation. By using high-dose radiation to pinpoint the cancer, doctors can more precisely target the cancer site. This greatly reduces the dose of radiation to healthy tissue in the breast and significantly reduces treatment time from six weeks to only five days.

The MammoSite Clinical Trial is an alternative treatment to full-breast radiation and is unavailable at any other cancer treatment center in the Baltimore metropolitan region.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)
SRS is a way of treating cancerous areas of the brain with the precise delivery of a single high dose of radiation in a one-day session. Satellite technology is used to focus radiation beams on a precise area of the brain to treat tumors. The St. Agnes Cancer Center team is currently working on new uses of this technology for other parts of the body.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery offers patients the precision of surgery without the invasiveness of a traditional operation.

Mammary Ductoscopy
This new technique can identify abnormalities in the breast, helping to detect the earliest stages of breast cancer. This outpatient procedure involves the placement of a fiberoptic endoscope into the milk duct, enabling the physician to actually visualize the inside of the milk ducts and biopsy any abnormalities seen at the time, possibly eliminating the need for surgical intervention. Sedation is not required and the entire procedure (with intraductal biopsy) takes approximately 45 minutes.

High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR Brachytherapy)
In HDR Brachytherapy, a precise, powerful dose of radiation is automatically delivered through an applicator to the cancerous tumor. After a short while, within the treatment session, the radiation source is removed. The procedure gives physicians and patients the significant advantage of applying a higher dose of radiation directly to the tumor while sparing healthy tissue and surrounding organs. HDR Brachytherapy takes less time, does not require surgery, and is more comfortable than other cancer treatments. Often the procedure is performed in an outpatient setting. There are few side effects, and the treatment can be used alone or combined with other treatment modalities.

To speak with Dr. Miller or any of the doctors performing these revolutionary treatments at St. Agnes HealthCare, contact Amy Elias or Mike Oettel at 410-243-3790.

St. Agnes HealthCare is a 299-bed, full-service community teaching hospital located in Southwest Baltimore with residency programs in a number of medical/surgical specialties. Key services at St. Agnes HealthCare include: The St. Agnes Cancer Center, The Chest Pain Emergency Center, Cardiovascular Services, Women's Health Services, The Joint Connection, The Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery and Telemedicine and the St. Agnes Emergency Department, which includes Pediatric, Adult and Urgent Care Emergency Centers. St. Agnes is a member of Ascension Health, the largest non-profit healthcare organization in the nation. Ascension Health is dedicated to reaching new heights in health care and service to communities, as well as serving as a model for faith-based health care throughout the world.