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Belleville, NJ - Clara Maass Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System became last month the first hospital in northern New Jersey to offer an innovative radioimmunotherapy treatment known as Bexxar to patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The treatment, which received United States Food and Drug Administration approval in 2003, combines the use of monoclonal antibodies and radiation to specifically target and destroy cancer cells. Bexxar has been used successfully for the treatment of patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma-- a form of cancer that affects the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic tissues--whose disease has relapsed after chemotherapy.
"Bexxar is very effective in treating a specific type of lymphoma," states Kenneth Blank, MD, Medical Director of the Radiation Oncology Department at Clara Maass Medical Center. "It has proven to be far more effective than the second and third line of traditional chemotherapy agents and offers new hope for patients with aggressive disease."
"Delivering this sophisticated treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach that combines the expertise of several specialties, including radiation oncology, medical oncology and nuclear medicine," notes Dr. Blank. Unlike external source radiation treatment, Bexxar employs a radioactive component bound to a manmade antibody that is injected into the patient's bloodstream. The antibody seeks out the targeted cells and delivers the tumor-killing power of radiation. It is a single, short course of treatment delivered during four outpatient visits over a 1-2 week period. Physicians and patients know within a month if the treatment has been successful.
"Clara Maass Medical Center is committed to providing the latest advances in the treatment of cancer to patients throughout this region," stresses James Orsini, MD, Director of Medical Oncology. "While Bexxar is appropriate for only one type of cancer, there are many people who can benefit from the availability of this exciting new treatment." According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), more than 54,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma will be diagnosed next year. Of those cases, 25 to 40 percent will have the follicular type that may be responsive to Bexxar.
Clara Maass Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, provides a complete continuum of care to residents of northern New Jersey. With campuses in both Belleville and Kearny, Clara Maass offers acute-care services through Clara Maass Medical Center; sub-acute and long-term care through the Continuing Care Centers at Belleville and West Hudson; assisted living and long-term care through the Continuing Care Center at Kearny; and home care services through JerseyCare Home Health.
Other centers of medical excellence include the Women's Health Center, nuclear medicine, The Cancer Center, diagnostic cardiac services including cardiac catheterization and rehabilitation, The Wound Center at Clara Maass, the Pain Management Center, the Orthopedic Spine & Joint Institute, same day surgery, and maternal/child health programs. For more information on Clara Maass programs and services, please call 1-800-CLARA MAASS or to take a virtual tour of the Medical Center, visit www.saintbarnabas.com
Date: January 2005
CONTACT:
Dennis Wilson, Jr.
Office- (973) 322-4925
dwilson@sbhcs.com
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