Is prostate cancer ever “low risk”?
That’s the question you need to ask yourself and your doctor if you’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer and are told it’s okay to take a wait-and-see approach.
In fact, the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami, a state-of-the-art cancer treatment center in South Florida that uses a noninvasive radiation treatment system called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to kill prostate cancer, say you might want to consider a second opinion.
Here’s why: While there are two types of wait-and-see approaches, in both cases you must acknowledge there is a ticking time-bomb inside of you that can grow and spread at any point.
Keep in mind, 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. The key here is with treatment. As the cancer spreads to other parts of the body the five-year survival rate drops significantly to 31%.
“Watchful waiting” means you don’t treat the cancer but instead observe your body for symptoms like pain. And if you notice a change, you’d tell your doctor. By then, the cancer could be more difficult to treat and has spread.
And “active surveillance” means you undergo routine testing like biopsies, imaging tests, prostate-specific antigen or PSA blood tests, and digital rectal exams to track the cancer’s growth. That can mean lots of invasive tests as you track the cancer.
Plus, even if you’re told you are in the low-risk category for the cancer spreading, that’s no guarantee. About 50% pf cancers that are initially said to be low risk end up being more aggressive – meaning the wait-and-see approach could be down-right dangerous.
CyberKnife Treatment for Prostate Cancer
Dr. Mark Pomper, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of CyberKnife Miami says cancer doesn’t always follow an expected path.
He encourages any patient thinking about a wait-and-see approach to get a second opinion — especially if he can be treated with CyberKnife, which delivers radiation directly to the tumor leaving the healthy surrounding tissue unharmed.
If you chose CyberKnife radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer, Dr. Pomper and patients will tell you, SpaceOAR Hydrogel is a must!
SpaceOAR Hydrogel is a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based, absorbable hydrogel that is injected between the prostate and rectum to create space, reducing radiation dose to the rectum during prostate cancer radiation therapy and potentially minimizing side effects.
Procedure: The hydrogel is injected as a liquid through a needle inserted between the rectum and prostate, and it then forms a soft, temporary gel.
Absorption: The hydrogel is designed to be naturally absorbed into the body and removed through urine in about 6 months.
Benefits: In a clinical trial, patients who underwent prostate cancer radiation therapy with SpaceOAR Hydrogel experienced fewer clinically significant declines in bowel, urinary and sexual functions than patients without SpaceOAR Hydrogel. With or without SpaceOar Hydrogel, most patients tolerate CyberKnife treatment very well, and it has a very high success rate treating prostate cancer, about 95% when detected early.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Near Me
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, call CyberKnife Miami for a consultation or for a second opinion at 305-279-2900, and go to our go to our prostate cancer website now for more information.