CyberKnife For Prostate Cancer -- Research Summary

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer will hit one in six men in his lifetime, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. This makes it the most common non-skin cancer in the United States. To survive the disease, it's important to catch it early. The American Cancer Society recommends men age 50 or older undergo both a PSA blood test, which checks levels of a protein produced by the prostate, and digital rectal exams every year. Men at high risk should start being tested at age 45. In addition to receiving annual screenings, men should watch out for symptoms that include the following: a need to urinate frequently, difficulty starting or holding back urination, blood in urine and frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips or upper thighs.

TREATMENT: Treatment of prostate cancer differs depending on the stage the cancer is found in, but the traditional course involves surgery and radiation therapy. Surgery, which the National Cancer Institute says is usually offered to patients in good health, may include removal of the prostate, surrounding tissue, seminal vesicles and nearby lymph nodes. Risks of prostate surgery include impotence and incontinence. Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays or other radiation to kill cancer cells in the prostate or prevent their growth. This type of therapy can be delivered externally or internally. External radiation therapy involves a machine outside the body that delivers radiation to the cancer, and internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance in needles, seeds, wires or catheters that target the cancerous areas. Radiation therapy, like surgery, can lead to impotence and incontinence. Other options for prostate cancer treatment, some of which are still in clinical trials, include hormone therapy, nerve-sparing surgery, "watchful waiting," cryosurgery and chemotherapy.

EASIER RADIATION: An innovative type of internal radiation therapy called CyberKnife uses gold seeds that are placed in the prostate to guide a machine that delivers radiation. While traditional radiation therapy takes eight weeks and 40 treatments, CyberKnife treatment takes one or two weeks and five treatments. It also delivers radiation to the targeted area more tightly than traditional therapy. The side effects of CyberKnife are similar to traditional radiation therapy, but the technology carries a lower risk of erectile dysfunction. Patients who have pacemakers or defibrillators that don't allow for an MRI scan are not good candidates for the procedure, as well as those who have metal implants. The CyberKnife technology can also be used to treat other cancers like sarcomas, meningiomas, spine cancer, pancreatic cancer and lung cancer. It can also treat benign tumors.

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Georgetown University Hospital
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