You’ve just hung up from a conversation with your doctor where he confirmed your worst fears. All your tests point to a prostate cancer diagnosis.
It’s only natural to feel nervous, uncertain and afraid. But after a few deep breaths, the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami – a world-class prostate cancer treatment center in South Florida – want you to replace your fears with facts and become proactive.
Look at the facts and look at your treatment options.
Fact: Prostate Cancer Statistics
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, one in eight men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. This year alone, more than 310,000 American men will be diagnosed.
Those with a family history of prostate cancer, those with genetic mutations like BRACA1 and African American men are at an increased risk, according to Men’s Health Network.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States, behind lung cancer.
Yet a diagnosis of prostate cancer – especially when caught early does not mean you are going to die from the disease.
Fact: Prostate Cancer Survival Rates
The overall five-year relative survival rate for men with all prostate cancers is 97%.
Relative survival rates compare those with the same type and stage of cancer to individuals in the overall population, according to the American Cancer Society.
For those with localized prostate cancer the five-year relative survival rate is 95%. The same is true for regional prostate cancer – that has spread to structures nearby the prostate. However, when the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body like the lungs, liver or bones, the five-year relative survival rate is 37%.
Again, that’s why early diagnosis and treatment can increase your odds of beating the disease.
Keep in mind — about half of prostate tumors tend to grow slowly, and screening often detects the disease. Seventy percent are caught while still localized, meaning it’s still contained in the prostate.
Fact: Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
Treatment for prostate cancer can include surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation or a combination of different therapies. That typically depends on the stage of the cancer and your overall health.
If your treatment calls for radiation, or if you want a second opinion, set up a consultation with the prostate cancer experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami. We treat all prostate cancers — from early to metastatic prostate cancers – with a state-of-the-art radiation treatment known as stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT.
When caught early CyberKnife alone can often 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 is a painless, non-invasive alternative to surgery for prostate cancer and faster than with conventional radiation.
- With CyberKnife, treatment is over in 5 to 10 days instead of weeks to months with other forms of radiation.
- The CyberKnife radiation beams, which target and destroy the tumor, are exceedingly precise. That means healthy tissue is unharmed.
- Treatments are outpatient and last 30 to 60 minutes.
- Side effects are minimal and may include fatigue and nausea.
- If the cancer returns, patients can be treated repeatedly with CyberKnife.
Five years after treatment with CyberKnife, the disease-free survival rates were 95%-100% for low-risk patients, making CyberKnife superior to the 92%-94% for patients who were treated with conventional radiation, according to CyberKnife’s patient brochure.
The rates were 88%-97% for intermediate-risk patients, making it equal to or higher than the 85%-90% reported with conventional radiation. And the 10-year disease-free survival rates with CyberKnife were 93% for low-risk patients compared to 81%-85% with conventional radiation.
CyberKnife Treatment for Prostate Cancer in South Florida
CyberKnife Miami opened our doors 23 years ago. We were the first CyberKnife center to open in the Southeast. And we’re here to help you.
“If your doctor tells you, it’s not for you, go to a CyberKnife center and get a second opinion. Maybe it’s not the best treatment for you, but most of the time it is. CyberKnife is the most effective, safest and quickest way to treat prostate cancer so you can put it behind you and get on with your life,” Dr. Mark Pomper, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of CyberKnife Miami advises.
If you are interested in learning more about CyberKnife Miami call us at 305-279-2900 or go to our website.