Methodist Dallas Medical Center One of First in Dallas to Offer New Treatment to Prevent Esophageal Cancer
DALLAS, April 24 /PRNewswire/ — Methodist Dallas Medical Center is one of the first hospitals in Dallas and the only one in southwest Dallas County to offer a new treatment that can help prevent esophageal cancer. The BARRX Medical HALO Ablation System offers a greater than 80 percent success rate in treating patients with Barrett’s esophagus, a disorder that if left untreated can cause esophageal cancer. Esophageal cancer can be deadly and represents the fastest rise in new cases per year of all cancers, having increased 600 percent over the past two decades.
Affecting about 3 million adults in the United States, Barrett’s esophagus occurs when chronic gastric reflux or GERD causes the cells in the esophagus to become irritated and change to resemble the cells that line the stomach, increasing the risk of esophageal cancer. While a comparatively small number of patients with Barrett’s esophagus will develop esophageal cancer, the deadliness of the disease make the early treatment of Barrett’s esophagus crucial. Prior to the BARRX procedure, patients with Barrett’s esophagus were treated with technologies that have a high rate of post-treatment complications, or with a “watch and wait” schedule of regular biopsies to determine whether the disease had progressed to cancer. The standard therapy for esophageal cancer has been to surgically remove the esophagus.
The BARRX device is a balloon-based ablation catheter which removes diseased cells with controlled heat, resulting in the regrowth of healthy cells. By eliminating Barrett’s esophagus and taking a proactive rather than a passive approach, esophageal cancer can be prevented and the patient’s anxiety over having to live with a pre-cancerous condition can be reduced. The entire BARRX procedure is done in an outpatient setting in less than 30 minutes, though some patients might require two visits. Patients are on a modified diet for 24-hours after the procedure, and can resume normal activities immediately. The procedure is covered by most major insurance carriers.
“The BARRX procedure is the first technology of its kind to treat Barrett’s esophagus with a favorable risk to benefit ratio,” says Dr. Paul Tarnasky, an independently practicing gastroenterologist on the medical staff at Methodist Health System, and one of the physicians who specializes in the procedure. “When we look at the previous methods for managing this disorder, it makes sense to physicians and patients to be more proactive in trying to prevent cancer, rather than the patient living with the fear that cancer may develop.”
About Methodist Health System
Guided by the founding principles of life, learning, and compassion, Methodist Health System (Methodist) uses some of the latest medical technology and research to bring quality health care to individuals and families throughout North Texas. Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Methodist Charlton Medical Center, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, Methodist Midlothian Health Center, and Methodist Family Health Centers are part of the nonprofit Methodist Health System, which is affiliated by covenant with the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. Additional information is available at http://www.methodisthealthsystem.org/ or by calling 214-947-0000.
Texas law prohibits hospitals from practicing medicine. The physicians on the Methodist Health System medical staff are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Methodist Health System.
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
CONTACT: Lynette Wilkinson, Public Relations Specialist of MethodistDallas Medical Center, +1-214-947-7460, lynettewilkinson@mhd.com
Web site: http://www.methodisthealthsystem.org/