St. Elizabeth Hospital announces new treatment to prevent esophageal cancer

Barrx procedure safely removes pre-cancerous, Barrett’s esophagus condition

December 16, 2008

Appleton, Wis. –St. Elizabeth Hospital now offers a state-of-the-art treatment to prevent deadly esophageal cancer. Known as Barrx (pronounced BAR-x) procedure, this safe treatment targets those with the pre-cancerous Barrett’s esophagus condition, a complication of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the U.S. and the majority of esophageal cancer patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage with poor prognosis, according to the American Association for Cancer Research.

Dr. Timothy Edison, a gastroenterologist specializing in the treatment of disorders of the esophagus, stomach and gastrointestinal tract, was instrumental in bringing the Barrx procedure to St. Elizabeth Hospital.

“It’s no question that Barrx is a life-saving procedure,” Edison said. “Our ability to safely treat those with Barrett’s esophagus and prevent esophageal cancer puts us in the best position possible to stay ahead of the cancer, especially as its prevalence is on the rise.”

More than one million Americans have Barrett’s esophagus, according to the Medical University of South Carolina. Those who have chronic acid reflux are at a higher risk for the disease.

The Barrx procedure uses HALO ablation technology where the affected tissue is heated until all diseased tissue is removed. This is done without damage to the normal underlying structures.

Barrx is an outpatient procedure and in most cases, takes less than 30 minutes.

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Network Health has offered customized commercial and Medicare health insurance services to area employers, individuals and families since 1982, and through its strong reputation for providing quality health care coverage and excellent customer service has grown to serve thousands of people in Northeast Wisconsin and beyond. Each year since 2002, Network Health has received the highest possible "Excellent" accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its commercial HMO insurance plans, and annually since 2004 it has been ranked in the Top 50 Health Insurance Plans in U.S. News and World Report's NCQA Best Health Plans in America listing.