Being diagnosed with cancer can be a challenging and emotional time for anyone. It can be even more discouraging for you and your loved ones when it’s recurrent. While it’s rare that the disease comes back after treatment, when this occurs, those men that choose to seek further treatment have few options. Often the only treatment they are given still does not eradicate the tumor completely. However, according to a new study, men with recurrent prostate cancer have new hope for being cancer-free and getting back to their lives and loved ones with less radiation therapy and NO hormone therapy.
CyberKnife vs. Conventional Radiation Therapy
The study was headed by Donald B. Fuller, M.D., of Genesis Healthcare Partners in San Diego, California. 50 patients diagnosed with biopsy-proven recurrent prostate cancer at least 2 years after their original treatment were chosen as candidates. Forty-three of the patients received treatment with fractionated radiation therapy, five were previously treated with brachytherapy, one with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and the final patient received a radical prostatectomy and was subsequently treated with post-prostate bed salvage radiation therapy. The results of the study showed a 60 percent disease-free survival (DFS) rate at 5 years. This demonstrated that patients exhibited no signs or symptoms of their cancer over that time period. This rate is comparable to brachytherapy results; however it excludes the need for hospitalization, anesthesia, and long recovery times typically associated with these other treatments. The study also showed lower results in the size of the tumor and toxicity levels. The median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decreased to 0.16 ng/mL and no grade two or higher gastrointestinal (GI) issues were reported at 5 years. Fabienne Hirigoyenberry-Lanson, Ph.D., vice president of global medical and scientific affairs, at Accuray said, “This study is significant because it highlights a potential new option for extending symptom-free survival in men with locally recurrent prostate cancer previously treated with radiation therapy.”(Accuray Incorporated, 2020)
How CyberKnife Works
The prostate can be a very fickle gland, moving and adjusting from natural bodily functions. CyberKnife uses the advanced techniques of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to deliver very high doses of radiation precisely and accurately. Able to calculate, rotate and correct position of the beam by mere millimeters, CyberKnife makes it easier for clinicians to successfully treat patients while minimizing effects to healthy tissue, shrinking patient toxicity levels, and reducing the number of treatment sessions. The CyberKnife System is the only robotic radiosurgery system that tracks and automatically adapts to
provide highly precise, non-surgical treatment for tumors and lesions anywhere in the body. Get better results with less treatment at the CyberKnife Center of Miami.
For more information about our cancer treatment services or to schedule an appointment please call our office at (800) 204-0455 or visit our prostate cancer treatment website at www.prostatecancertreatmentmiami.com
Accuray Incorporated. (2020). Accuray CyberKnife® System Provides Excellent Disease Control for Men with Recurrent Prostate Cancer, a Medical Condition with Few Viable Treatment Options. [online] Prnewswire.com. Available at: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/accuray-cyberknife-system-provides-excellent-disease-control-for-men-with-recurrent-prostate-cancer-a-medical-condition-with-few-viable-treatment-options-300983099.html [Accessed 26 Jan. 2020].