While there is no cure for metastatic prostate cancer – cancer that has spread outside the prostate — there are treatments that can keep the cancer at bay for years and lead to better quality of life, according to American Society of Clinical Oncology.
First things first — the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami, a premier radiation cancer treatment center in South Florida, say the sooner prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the chance of it being cured.
That means once it’s diagnosed, treating it – not ignoring or waiting to treat it – is paramount.
Aside from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, according to cancer.net. Sixty percent of cases are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.
About 84-percent of prostate cancers are found in the early stage. That’s when the cancer is localized in the prostate or has just spread to nearby organs. The five-year survival rate for these prostate cancers is excellent with treatment. As the cancer spreads to other parts of the body the five-year survival rate drops significantly to 31-percent.
Why Wait? Treat Your Prostate Cancer
The CyberKnife Miami philosophy is: Why wait?
The “wait-and-see” approach — even if you’re told the cancer is growing slowly — could mean giving the cancer time to spread.
Even if you’re told you are in the low-risk category for the cancer spreading, that may not always be true. Mounting research shows your risk level can change as seen in this written article. For instance, your cancer could end up being more aggressive than the findings originally indicated. So, if you are told to watch-and-wait, you may want to get a second opinion from CyberKnife Miami.
Metastatic Prostate Cancer
High-risk or locally-advanced prostate cancers are more likely to become metastatic, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Yet once the cancer has metastasized, it can still be treated for many years.
Some men – even those with advanced disease – outlive their prostate cancers because treatment options can extend their lives. So having metastatic prostate cancer can be more like living with a chronic disease, much like diabetes, which has to constantly be monitored and if necessary treated.
When prostate cancer spreads, it tends to metastasize to the bones in 85-to-90-percent of cases, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The cancer can also spread to the lymph nodes, liver or lungs, according to WebMD.
Treatment goals for metastatic prostate cancer change from curing the cancer to managing symptoms, slowing the growth, and shrinking the tumors.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Miami
The prostate cancer experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami treat most prostate cancers — from early and intermediate stages to metastatic prostate cancers. In fact, we treat metastatic cancer with great success in less time than traditional radiation treatments.
CyberKnife Miami offers state-of-the-art radiation treatment known as stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT. It’s an excellent treatment option for patients who cannot or do not want to have surgery, those that have failed other treatments or have been told there’s nothing left to do.
Here are the distinct advantages of CyberKnife for metastatic prostate cancer.
- It’s noninvasive.
- There are no risks of infection or long periods of downtime like there is with surgery. In fact, there is little to no downtime.
- The CyberKnife radiation beams, which target and destroy the tumor, are exceedingly precise. That means healthy tissue is unharmed.
- Treatments are on an outpatient basis and last 30 to 60 minutes.
- Side effects if any are minimal and may include fatigue.
- Patients can be treated with CyberKnife even if they have had previous treatment to the same area.
CyberKnife Treatment Miami
If you or someone you love is diagnosed with prostate cancer at any stage, contact the experts at CyberKnife Miami for a consultation. We treat patients from across South Florida, the United States and even around the world.
If you would like to find out more about prostate cancer treatment with CyberKnife, call us at 305-279-2900 or go to our prostate cancer website now for more information.