Annual Report INSERT
Update
Brachytherapy at Kish
2012
Another option for prostate cancer patients
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Radiation Oncologist Amit Bhate, MD, and Urologist Azeem Haleem, MD, are collaborating
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to perform prostate brachtherapy at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, becoming the only
brachytherapy site in Northern Illinois outside of the Chicago area.
Amit Bhate, MD
Radiation Oncology
Dr. Bhate, radiation oncology medical director for The Cancer Center, has seven years���
experience through advanced training in brachytherapy, radiosurgery and proton therapy at
Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington
DC, and Loma Linda University, California.
Dr. Haleem has been performing brachytherapy for more than 15 years as a private
practitioner in Sandwich and Aurora. He recently joined KishHealth Physician Group.
In brachytherapy, radioactive seeds about the size of a grain of rice are carefully placed
inside the tumor, allowing for higher doses of radiation to be given to kill the cancer,
thereby increasing the chances of cure and almost eliminating exposure to nearby tissues.
The radioactivity of the seeds decays with time while the actual seeds permanently stay
within the prostate.
Azeem Haleem, MD
Urology
���Brachytherapy has been proven to be very effective and safe, providing an excellent
alternative to external beam radiation and surgical removal of the prostate,��� Dr. Bhate says.
CATCH
A tool for cancer prevention
Good nutrition, exercise and other healthy habits can prevent diseases like cancer and are powerful
building blocks to a healthy life when established at a young age.
With an eye toward improving morbidity and mortality rates for our next generation, Kishwaukee
Community Hospital���s Community Wellness Department has brought the nationally recognized CATCH
program to schools in our region.
CATCH, which stands for a ���Coordinated Approach to Children���s Health,��� is a systematic approach to
teaching children how to make healthy changes at a young age, and how to make those changes last for
a lifetime. The program is designed to get children moving with fun physical activities and encouraging
them to make better food choices both at home and at school.
The CATCH program was successfully piloted at Tyler Elementary
school in DeKalb in 2011 and has since become part of the
curriculum for all DeKalb elementary schools. CATCH has also
been integrated into the Sycamore School District���s OSCAR after
school program and was part of the 2012 Kishwaukee Family YMCA
Summer Camp.
