Minimal Side Effects & Shorter Treatment Time May Be a Reason CyberKnife is a Good Fit for You
You’ve just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Now what?
Ask the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami.
Just hearing the word cancer is scary enough on its own. Add the words surgery, chemotherapy and radiation on top and the diagnosis becomes downright overwhelming.
Depending on your stage of prostate cancer, one treatment option may be less daunting than you would ever think.
That prostate cancer treatment: CyberKnife
CyberKnife Miami’s Medical Director and Board Certified Radiation Oncologist Dr. Mark Pomper says, “CyberKnife is cutting-edge radiation technology also know as stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT. It can destroy prostate tumors with precise, pinpointed accuracy leaving the surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.”
New Study, Promising Results
According to the latest 12-year study presented at American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) virtual annual meeting in October, treating prostate cancer with SBRT offers high rates of long-term cancer control, with mild health hazards.
“This study suggests that early excellent control rates for SBRT for prostate cancer remain durable over 12 years,” said the study’s authors Dr. Alan Katz of St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY and Dr. Josephine Kang of New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine in a study abstract.
And a 2019 study from UCLA of more than 2,100 men found men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer can be treated with SBRT over a shorter period of time with the same, successful end result as using a longer course of traditional radiation. In other words: With SBRT or CyberKnife for prostate cancer treatment, men can be treated in five sessions with SBRT instead of 45 treatments with traditional radiation and still have a successful outcome.
“What is remarkable about this very large study is how favorably stereotactic body radiotherapy compares to all other forms of radiation treatments, both in terms of effectiveness and side effects,” according to senior author Dr. Christopher King, professor of radiation oncology and scientist at the UCLA cancer center. “With such long-term follow-up data, we can now offer this approach to patients with full confidence.”
Let’s Talk Side Effects from CyberKnife for Prostate Cancer
First of all, Cyberknife is non-invasive and reduces the risk of unwanted side effects of traditional treatments.
The side effects of traditional treatments can be daunting, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Think about it: The prostate is close to several vital structures so the cancer and the traditional treatments for it can be life-changing, disruptive and life long. They can interfere with urinary, bowel and sexual function. That’s very scary for any man.
With CyberKnife because of its precision, there are minimal side effects that may include fatigue, urinary irritation and rectal irritation. Medication can help minimize these and they usually go away in a few days or weeks.
There is also a much lower risk of toxicity than with traditional radiation.
Plus, the radiation from Cyberknife stays in the tumor will minimize risk of burning the anus or testicles. Another bonus with CyberKnife, there is a lower risk of impotence and urinary incontinence. And sexual function remains the same for most patients after treatment. That’s important knowledge for any man facing a prostate cancer diagnosis and trying to decide what treatment option to go with.
Prostate Cancer Treatment in Miami and Near Me
Check out this time-lapse video showing treatment for prostate cancer at the CyberKnife Center of Miami. It demystifies the process all together.
And while the response to treatment varies from patient to patient, clinical experience shows most patients do well with CyberKnife with cure rates of more than 98% for more than a decade.
Is CyberKnife Right For You?
At the CyberKnife Center of Miami, we have successfully treated hundreds of prostate cancer patients with excellent results. Hundreds of thousands more have been treated worldwide.
Our compassionate team will help you get through this. We will be your partner through this journey, and we are always available to answer any questions or concerns you might have.
Our goal is to help our prostate cancer patients live longer, healthier lives and most important, maintain quality of life while undergoing treatment and beyond.
Our technology focuses on your cancer, and we focus on you.
Call the CyberKnife Center of Miami and talk to our cancer experts or for an appointment at 305-279-2900 and go to our prostate cancer website now for more information. www.prostatecancertreatmentmiami.com