UroNav system marries MRI with ultrasound to achieve more accurate prostate biopsies
Summit, NJ – Atlantic Health System Cancer Care at Overlook Medical Center is now offering a highly advanced technology that will enhance the ability of physicians to diagnose, stage and treat prostate cancer. The UroNav Fusion Biopsy System fuses pre-biopsy magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of the prostate with ultrasound-guided 3-D images in real time, allowing for excellent imaging of the prostate and any abnormal changes (lesions) that may or may not be cancerous.
“Here at Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, we have strived to provide the latest technologies to benefit our patients,” said Dennis Lowenthal, MD, medical director, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Overlook Medical Center. “UroNav’s MRI/ultrasound fusion-guided biopsy is now the latest technology for prostate cancer diagnosis. The quality of imaging enables us to get the most accurate results, and to guide the most effective treatment plan if cancer is found. This is the next generation of prostate cancer detection.”
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men after skin cancer. When caught early, it is highly treatable.
“Prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing and the digital rectal exam (DRE), the most common means of screening for prostate cancer, can be unreliable and can lead to many uncertainties,” said Dr. Lowenthal. “Trans-rectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsy, which is the current standard for prostate cancer detection when the PSA is elevated or something suspicious is found on DRE, may provide less optimal imaging of both the prostate and biopsy needle, and the needle may pass through tumor-free areas of the prostate, therefore missing the tumor. The UroNav system addresses both of these issues.”
The UroNav fusion biopsy system combines electromagnetic tracking and navigation, similar to a car’s GPS, with an onboard computer and a real-time imaging interface in one easy-to-use, mobile workstation. A small, localized electromagnetic field is generated and used in conjunction with a navigation sensor mounted to the existing ultrasound transducer. The physician simply positions the navigation system above the patient and is ready to take advantage of UroNav’s simple, guided workflow. This workflow follows the same TRUS biopsy procedure urologists already use.
“Radiology data are easily and quickly transferred to UroNav for review and target identification,” said Terrence Lee, MD, a radiologist at Overlook Medical Center. “UroNav helps target suspicious lesions which can increase accuracy in diagnosing prostate cancer.”
About Atlantic Health System Cancer Care
Atlantic Health System Cancer Care offers an unparalleled network of cancer specialists and resources for more than 6000 newly diagnosed cancer patients annually through its flagship Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown and Overlook medical centers, as well as its comprehensive oncology programs at Chilton, Hackettstown and Newton medical centers. With more than 250 cancer specialists, all five hospitals and Atlantic Medical Group are designated Blue Cross Blue Shield ‘Blue Distinction Centers,’ and participate in The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Oncology Care Model that supports and encourages higher quality care. Morristown and Newton medical centers earned the coveted American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award and, along with Overlook and Chilton, earned Three-Year Approval with Commendation. U.S. News & World Report has ranked Atlantic Health System hospitals as high performing in colon cancer surgery, lung cancer surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, and pulmonology. In 2019, Morristown Medical Center (#28) and Overlook Medical Center (#98) were rated as some of the best hospitals in the entire United States by Newsweek in its inaugural hospital rankings.
Atlantic Health System Cancer Care is affiliated with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) of Phoenix, Arizona, and together they have created the Breakthrough Oncology Accelerator, a pioneering research and clinical collaboration designed to improve patient access to the most innovative and sophisticated therapies for cancer.
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 17,000 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 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The system offers 400 sites of care, including six 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 and Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ.
In addition to the employed workforce, Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network represents more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ. This network includes 1,000 physicians and providers comprising one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey - Atlantic Medical Group, as well as members of the Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners, which work to enhance patient care delivery.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health needs, including 12 urgent care centers, Atlantic Rehabilitation and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. 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 seven 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 expanding access to groundbreaking research across seven health systems in New Jersey.
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.