Keck Medical Center of USC adopts new technology to improve bladder cancer detection, diagnosis

Patient interviews available upon request.

Highlights of this news release:

• Cysview (hexaminolevulinate HCl) is an optical imaging agent used with a special blue light cystoscope designed to identify certain bladder cancer tumors that are difficult to detect using traditional white light cystoscopy.
• Of the roughly 40 medical centers in the United States that offer blue light cystoscopy using Cysview, the Keck Medical Center of USC is the only center on the West Coast.
• Bladder cancer is the most expensive cancer to treat on a per-patient basis due to its high recurrence rate and requirement for life-long surveillance; better detection may extendtime to recurrence and limit disease progression.

LOS ANGELES — The Keck Medical Center of the University of Southern California (USC) is the only health-care provider in the western United States to offer a new diagnostic tool for bladder cancer called “blue light cystoscopy.” The technology helps urologists identify more bladder tumors that are difficult to see using conventional white light cystoscopy.

“In the United States, bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men, and the most expensive cancer to treat,” said Sia Daneshmand, M.D., director of urologic oncology at the USC Institute of Urology and associate professor of urology at USC. “This new technology makes it much easier to see tumors that previously would have gone undetected. The more cancer that we can remove at earlier stages, the lower the chance of recurrence.”

The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine, which typically calls for a urine analysis that detects presence of cancer and white light cystoscopy.

“The traditional white light cystoscopy is a minimally invasive procedure that allows the doctor to see inside the bladder,” said Anne Schuckman, M.D., director of urologic oncology at the Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center and assistant professor of urology at USC. “Anything abnormal is biopsied and/or removed, but certain tumors can be invisible and may be missed when using white light cystoscopy alone.”

Cysview (hexaminolevulinate HCl) is an optical imaging agent that accumulates in tumor cells of the bladder and glows pink under blue light, making them easily discernible from healthy bladder tissue. It is designed to detect papillary cancer of the bladder in patients with known or suspected bladder cancer based on routine white light cystoscopy. The solution, marketed as Hexvix in Europe and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010, is used with the Karl Storz D-Light C Photodynamic Diagnostic (PDD) system, which includes both white and blue light cystoscopy settings.

In clinical trials, blue light cystoscopy using Cysview found additional tumors in nearly 16 percent of patients when compared to using white light alone.

“Bladder cancer is difficult to detect, even for specialists,” said Inderbir S. Gill, M.D., founding executive director of the USC Institute of Urology and associate dean of clinical innovation at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Patients with known or suspected bladder cancer can now come to the Keck Medical Center of USC and take comfort in the fact that their doctors are trained and experienced in using the most advanced diagnostic technology available.”

The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 72,500 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in 2013, while roughly 15,200 people will die from the disease. Bladder cancer has a recurrence rate of up to 80 percent and requires life-long surveillance after diagnosis, making it the most expensive cancer to treat on a per-patient basis, according to the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network.

“Providing advanced, high quality patient care is a critical component of our Keck Medical Center of USC mission,” said Scott Evans, CEO of the USC hospitals. “We pride ourselves on innovation and collaboration. Our doctors and staff are always looking for new ways to heal patients. The blue light cystoscopy is a prime example of our commitment to returning patients to their normal routines as quickly as possible.”

Blue light cystoscopy is performed at the Keck Medical Center of USC as an outpatient procedure and is covered by most major insurance providers. It is sometimes followed by a course of chemo- or immunotherapy instilled in the bladder to prevent recurrence. Cysview is not recommended for use in patients with porphyria or sensitivity to hexaminolevulinate.

ABOUT THE KECK MEDICAL CENTER OF USC

The Keck Medical Center of USC is one of only two university-owned academic medical centers in the Los Angeles area. It consists of Keck Hospital of USC (formerly USC University Hospital) and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, the private hospitals of the University of Southern California. The two world-class, USC-owned hospitals are staffed by more than 500 physicians who are faculty at the renowned Keck School of Medicine of USC. The USC Institute of Urology at the USC Norris Cancer Hospital provides a complete range of sub-specialties that deliver comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services for urologic disorders. For more information, go to www.uscurology.com.

Contact: Leslie Ridgeway at (323) 442-2823 or lridgewa@usc.edu