While treatment for prostate cancer depends on the stage of the cancer and the overall health of the man being treated, one thing the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami want men to understand is that we believe stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) — the type of radiation we use to treat prostate cancer — has some distinct advantages.
“Years of mounting research is proving CyberKnife to be the gold standard for treating prostate cancer, and as more men learn about CyberKnife, it is becoming the number one treatment of choice,” says Dr. Mark Pomper, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of CyberKnife Miami.
Prostate Cancer Statistics
About 84% of prostate cancers are detected in early stages when the cancer is localized in the prostate or has just spread to nearby organs.
The five-year survival rate in these cases is excellent with treatment, including radiation alone. As the cancer spreads to other parts of the body the five-year survival rate drops significantly to 31%.
CyberKnife for Early Prostate Cancer
“CyberKnife is the most sophisticated and refined way to treat most tumors,” Dr. Pomper says on CyberKnife Miami’s YouTube Channel.
CyberKnife destroys the prostate tumors with precise, pinpointed accuracy leaving the surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.
- CyberKnife has a 98% cure rate for prostate cancer.
- CyberKnife treatments can be done in five radiation therapy sessions over 10 days compared to 42 over three months with other types of radiation treatments.
- The CyberKnife radiation beams, which target and destroy the tumor, are so precise that healthy tissue is left unharmed so there is a lower risk of side effects like impotence and incontinence.
- It is noninvasive so there are no risks of infection or extended periods of downtime like there is with surgery.
- Treatments are outpatient and last about 30 minutes.
- Side effects are minimal and may include urinary frequency or urgency.
- Patients can be re-treated with CyberKnife, if needed.
CyberKnife alone can treat prostate cancer, if it is low to intermediate Gleason Score and localized to the prostate cancer. For these early prostate cancers, cure rates with radiation are about the same as men treated with radical prostatectomy, which is surgery to remove the prostate gland, according to the American Cancer Society.
CyberKnife and Prostate Cancer Research
According to a 12-year study presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in 2020, treating prostate cancer with SBRT offers high rates of long-term cancer control.
“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.
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 results as using a longer course of traditional radiation.
CyberKnife for Recurrent Prostate Cancer
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, — regardless of treatment approach — prostate cancer will recur in between one-quarter and one-third of men. That includes men treated with either surgery or radiation.
Prostate cancer recurs in the prostate or the seminal vesicles (sacs next to the prostate where semen is stored.) It may also spread through the pelvic lymph nodes to the rectum or pelvic wall. It can also metastasize to the bones or other organs.
“CyberKnife radiation therapy is an excellent tool to treat recurrent prostate cancer or cancer of any kind,” says Dr. Pomper.
Prostate cancer recurrence is treatable and may even be curable, and survival rates remain high. At least 94% of patients live at least 15 years after their original diagnosis.
Men who continue to battle the disease for years can manage the disease and its symptoms with CyberKnife, according to the experts at CyberKnife Miami. For these men, prostate cancer becomes akin to managing long-term diseases like diabetes or heart disease.
CyberKnife can be particularly helpful to treat bone pain associated with metastatic prostate cancer, and it can even be used in conjunction with hormone treatment and even after surgery.
CyberKnife Miami for Prostate Cancer Treatment
At CyberKnife Miami, we have successfully treated hundreds of prostate cancer patients from across the country and right here in South Florida with excellent results.
Our goal is to partner with you through your treatment journey and make sure you are as comfortable and as informed as possible.
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.