Success means different things to different people when it comes to prostate cancer treatment – or any cancer treatment for that matter.
First and foremost – success overwhelmingly means killing the cancer and being able to live cancer-free after treatment.
But beating cancer just scratches the surface of what success truly means.
For some, success is the sheer act of surviving. For others, success may mean living post-treatment with the fewest side effects possible. For another group, success may mean finding a treatment modality that is easiest on the body. And yet there’s a different group that’s facing a prostate cancer recurrence. For this group, success is getting treated again.
So prostate cancer patients really need to frame the word success in the context of their lifestyles.
However, there is one treatment that offers excellent long-term success rates with fewer side effects. And it’s easy on the body but tough on prostate cancer. Plus it can be used if prostate cancer returns, which happens up to 30% of the time no matter what treatment option you choose, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The treatment we use at the CyberKnife Center of Miami is CyberKnife, a form of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) that targets tumors with pinpoint accuracy, leaving the surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.
“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, an expert on CyberKnife treatment for prostate cancer, and a board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of the CyberKnife Center of Miami.
CyberKnife for Prostate Cancer
- 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’s noninvasive so there are no risks of infection or long periods of downtime like there is with surgery.
- Treatments are outpatient and last 30 to 60 minutes.
- Side effects are minimal and may include fatigue and nausea.
- Patients can be treated repeatedly with CyberKnife.
When caught early – as 84% of prostate cancer cases are — CyberKnife alone can treat the cancer, especially if it’s low grade 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 can also be used in conjunction with other therapies as well or in cases where prostate cancer returns.
“CyberKnife radiation therapy is an excellent tool to treat recurrent prostate cancer or cancer of any kind,” says Dr. Pomper.
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 now at 305-279-2900 or go to our prostate cancer website now for more information.