St. Joseph Mercy Oakland first in Oakland County to offer advanced imaging to detect prostate cancer

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Bobby Maldonado

248-858-6662

Bobby.Maldonado@stjoeshealth.org

May 23, 2018

PONTIAC, Mich. (May 23, 2018) – In April 2018, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland became the first hospital in Oakland County to offer a targeted MRI/ultrasound biopsy for identifying prostate cancer. This new capability overlays a pre-biopsy MRI of the prostate with ultrasound-guided biopsy images in real time to provide physicians with clear visualization of the prostate, specifically in areas where cancer lesions may be suspected. It also provides imaging guidance for the biopsy needle to ensure tissue of a suspected lesion can be targeted, removed and sent to a pathology lab for further testing. This is an improvement from standard biopsies which involve multiple tissue samples taken without imaging guidance.

"The advanced imaging capabilities we provide can identify prostate cancer within patients earlier and with much greater accuracy," says St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Radiologist Grygori Gerasymchuk, MD. "We know that early detection and containment of prostate cancer is critically important. Our high quality images give patients and their doctors an advantage that few other hospitals in the state can offer."

One in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. According to the American Cancer Society, it is recommended that all men over the age of 50 get screened for prostate cancer. For African American men, or men with a family history of prostate cancer, screening is recommended at 45 or as early as 40 in certain cases.

"Prostate cancer is a completely treatable form of cancer, so long as it is diagnosed at an early stage before it has spread beyond the prostate," says St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Urologist Sanjeev Kaul, MD. "With the new targeted MRI/ultrasound biopsy offered at St. Joe's, we are able to accurately diagnose aggressive and lethal prostate cancer early, when the opportunity for treatment and a full recovery is greatest. We can also avoid unnecessary treatment of slow growing, non-lethal prostate cancer and prevent treatment side effects in these patients."

St. Joe's new imaging protocols for prostate cancer are the same as those used within leading American medical research institutions. In addition to identifying aggressive forms of cancer, this new technology also reduces the number of unnecessary biopsies, which saves patients time, money and stress.

St. Joe's offers patients advanced diagnostic and interventional radiologic procedures, which includes use of a 3 Tesla, one of the most powerful MRI machines available on the market today. The hospital is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) in MRI and Nuclear Medicine and is an ACR Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. The targeted MRI/ultrasound biopsy is also available through St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor.

About St. Joseph Mercy Oakland

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a 443-bed community teaching hospital and a long-time leader in health care in Oakland County. Founded in 1927 by the Sisters of Mercy, St. Joseph Mercy

Oakland has won numerous local and national awards for patient safety, quality and performance, and consistently ranks in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide. A member of the Saint

Joseph Mercy Health System, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is a technologically leading hospital that combines advanced medicine and personal care to assist patients on their path to wellness. With dedicated physicians, nurses and hospital staff committed to providing quality care throughout the patient stay, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland has truly personalized the patient care experience.

For more information about health services offered at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, please visit stjoesoakland.org.

About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 131,000 colleagues, has annual operating revenues of $17.6 billion and assets of about $24.6 billion. Additionally, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.

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