August 7, 2000FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Deb Pettibone, 716-845-8593
UTERINE FIBROID EMBOLIZATION MAY AVOID HYSTERECTOMY
BUFFALO, NY - With the addition of a new procedure called uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) will expand its services to include treatment of benign fibroid tumors. UFE blends angiography (viewing the blood vessels) and embolization (blocking the blood vessels) to destroy the fibroids, which may preserve fertility by avoiding hysterectomy, particularly in young women with this condition.
"Fibroid tumors are common growths in women between ages 30 and 60. The majority of these are confined to the uterine muscle and can be treated with UFE. Fibroid tumors that are pedunculated (growing away from the uterine wall) are not eligible for this procedure," says Atul Gupta, MD, Director, Division of Angiography/ Interventional Radiology at RPCI and Assistant Professor of Radiology at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Candidates for UFE must be in generally good health and have fibroid tumors confined to the uterine wall. There is no limit to the size or the number of fibroids that can be treated with this procedure. UFE is offered as an outpatient procedure, with patients able to return home on the same day as their procedure and return to their normal routines within one week.
"Angiographers have had great success with embolization as a method to cut off the blood supply of unwanted tumors in the body. This is an example of how cutting edge cancer therapies can be used to improve treatments for other conditions," continued Dr. Gupta.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation's first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Western New York.
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