Atlantic Health System Public Relations Department
Luke Margolis
Innovative, non-invasive treatment reduces recovery time and minimizes side effects
December 5, 2022 – ROCKAWAY, NJ – Patients in New Jersey suffering from localized prostate cancer have a new, in-state option for care thanks to an innovative procedure offered through Atlantic Health System Cancer Care. Using Focal One robotic technology, urologists can deliver high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to remove discrete lesions within the prostate. The first two cases in New Jersey were performed by urologists Lee Pressler, MD and Joseph Steinberg, MD.
Focal One combines real-time ultrasound image guidance with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biopsy data to robotically control the HIFU energy to treat localized prostate cancer. The guidance technology allows the physician to directly target only the tumor within the diseased portion of the prostate, sparing the normal prostate tissue. Together, these treatments and targeting technologies minimize side effects and may eliminate the need for surgical prostate removal or radiation.
The procedures took place recently at the brand new, state-of-the-art surgery center at Morristown Medical Center Health Pavilion (ASCR) in Rockaway. Focal One uses advanced targeting technology to precisely isolate diseased prostate tissue for a procedure known as ablation. In an ablation procedure, only a small portion of the prostate is treated, allowing urologists to spare healthy surrounding tissue and minimize side effects.
“We are incredibly proud to be the first in New Jersey to offer this breakthrough non-invasive focal therapy technology to our prostate cancer patients,” said Pam Mestel, Executive Director, Surgical Services at Morristown Medical Center. “Combining the latest technological advancements with our nationally recognized clinical excellence is further enhanced by our ability to offer this procedure in a brand-new ambulatory surgery setting.”
Minimizing side effects for prostate cancer patients can mean significant improvements in their quality of life. Traditional treatments for prostate cancer, including surgical prostatectomy and radiation, can result in urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
“What should be most exciting for the patients eligible for this procedure is that through targeted ablation we can target only the cancerous tumor within the prostate. This minimally invasive technique limits side effects associated with more aggressive treatments” said Lee Pressler, MD, a urologic oncologist with Garden State Urology, part of Atlantic Medical Group.
Garden State Urology and Morristown Medical Center are at the forefront in treating prostate cancer. The addition of Focal One is the latest high-tech offering to advance the care of urology patients at Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, joining a comprehensive suite of options including innovative research trials, robotic surgery, intensity modulated radiation therapy, Tomotherapy® and other novel treatments for locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer.
These clinical advances are integrated into an advanced prostate cancer clinic led by David Taylor, MD. Dr. Taylor is at the leading edge of new treatments and advanced imaging modalities for advanced disease including PMSA PET. To learn more about the options available to prostate cancer patients, visit the Atlantic Health System website.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of more than 18,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 12 counties and 6.2 million people. The not-for-profit system offers more than 400 sites of care, including its seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ and through its partnership with CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold, NJ.
Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 23 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of six regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across five health systems in the region.
Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.