Prostate Cancer: Know Your Options

Thanks to advancements in research and treatment methods, men diagnosed with prostate cancer have more options and resources available to them than ever before.

Whether you or a loved one has been newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, talking to your doctor to learn more about the disease and treatments that are right for you is an important first step.  You have many treatment choices and learning about the different prostate cancer treatment options will help you make the right decisions for you.  Become informed and take control by:

– Asking questions

– Doing your own research

– Seeking a second opinion

– Finding out how different treatments can affect your health and lifestyle

Below is an overview of some current treatment options for prostate cancer.  It’s important to learn more about the various risks and benefits of each option.

– Surgery – If prostate cancer hasn’t spread outside the gland, invasive surgery is often used to remove the prostate.

– External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) – Also known as intensity-modulated radiation therapy or IMRT, this method uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and is administered over several weeks of daily treatments.

– Brachytherapy – Also known as internal radiation therapy, brachytherapy uses small radioactive pellets, or “seeds,” that are placed directly into the prostate to deliver radiation over a period of several months.

– Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) – This treatment method uses advanced image guidance software to deliver high dose radiation to the prostate cancer with sub-millimeter accuracy. Treatment is completed in five or fewer outpatient sessions and results in less radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.

At CAMC Radiation Oncology Services, we treat prostate cancer with SBRT using the TrueBeam™ STx system.  TrueBeam is a non-invasive prostate cancer treatment technology in which high-dose radiation is delivered to the tumor from a linear accelerator rotating around the body.  Hundreds of angles and beam width adjustments in the TrueBeam prescribed treatment plan enable the radiation to be contoured to the shape of the prostate.  This results in treatment aimed directly to the prostate gland, avoiding nearby critical anatomy.  This precision reduces treatment time to just five outpatient visits.  In comparison, conventional radiation therapy could require up to 45 visits.

To learn more about your prostate cancer treatment options, please click here.  To contact CAMC Radiation Oncology Services to find out more about how we treat prostate cancer, or to get a second opinion, please click here.