Radiation is a powerful tool in the fight against prostate cancer with a proven track record of safety as well as an excellent cure rate.
However, when doctors talk about radiation for prostate cancer, you should know there are different radiation treatments available. They fall into two main categories, according to the American Cancer Society: internal radiation and external beam radiation.
Internal Radiation or Brachytherapy: With internal radiation doctors place small radioactive pellets or seeds into the prostate. This treatment is used for men with early-stage, slow-growing cancers. It can also be combined with external radiation for men with a greater risk of the cancer spreading.
External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): This radiation is focused on the prostate gland from outside the body. EBRT is often used for earlier staged cancers or to help relieve symptoms like bone pain if the cancer has spread. There are several types of external radiation used for prostate cancer.
Here’s the Breakdown of Types of EBRT:
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT): This therapy uses advanced image-guided techniques to deliver larger doses of radiation to a very precise area. Since there are larger doses of radiation, treatment lasts only a few days as opposed to longer treatment courses with other forms of radiation. This therapy is less likely to damage surrounding healthy tissue.
The experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami use a form of SBRT called CyberKnife to kill prostate cancer. It’s not a knife at all, but a powerful state-of-the-art form of external radiation.
Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT): Computers map the prostate then aim radiation at the cancer. The treatment is give in lower doses of a longer course of treatment. Up to 45 days 5 days a week. This therapy is less likely to damage surrounding tissues as well.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): This is an advanced form of 3D-CRT. It also is given in up to 45 days of treatment. The difference is that it uses special mechanical blocking systems to help spare normal tissue.
Proton Beam Radiation Therapy: This therapy focuses beams of protons instead of x-rays on the cancer. This therapy allows for more radiation to hit the prostate while doing less damage to surrounding tissues.
With each of these treatments, there are side effects, which can include short-term complications including urinary and bowel irritation.
Keep in mind: The risk of long-term complications with radiation therapy is low – less than five percent, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The risk of developing a second cancer from radiation treatment for prostate cancer is less than one percent.
CyberKnife vs. Other Types of Radiation for Prostate Cancer
CyberKnife kills the prostate cancer while reducing the risk of side effects caused by traditional radiation treatments because of its pinpoint accuracy. That’s because the radiation from Cyberknife focuses only on the tumor without damaging nearby vital structures. That means there is a reduced risk of impotence and urinary incontinence. And sexual function remains the same for most patients after treatment.
Side effects of CyberKnife may include tiredness and urinary and rectal irritation. Over-the-counter medication can help lessen these, and they usually go away in a few weeks.
There is also a lower risk of toxicity than with traditional radiation.
“We are very, very precise,” explains Dr. Mark Pomper, radiation oncologist and medical director at CyberKnife Miami in a YouTube video. “With the CyberKnife, we target the patient’s prostate, and the radiation beam moves with the patient’s prostate, so the radiation only hits the tumor, that alone greatly reduces the risk of side effects.”
CyberKnife Therapy for Prostate Cancer
CyberKnife has been used worldwide to successfully treat hundreds of thousands of prostate cancer patients.
At the CyberKnife Center of Miami, we have treated hundreds of prostate cancer patients in the South Florida area with excellent results.
We treat patients from across the country as well as right here in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. Our staff is here to answer
any of your questions, and we are happy to offer a second opinion.If you would like to find out more about prostate cancer treatment with CyberKnife,
call us now at 305-279-2900 or go to our prostate cancer website now for more information.