Prostate Cancer Treatment Using the CyberKnife System

By pasa6872 19 May, 2011 Health cancer, cancer treatment, cyberknife, prostate cancer, prostatecancer, psa, radiation, radiosurgery

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Every year, about 240,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, prostate cancer is slow-growing in most cases. Nevertheless, without treatment, a number of patients will develop progressive disease and eventual distant tumor spread. PSA screening has been an effective means to detect early prostate cancer; early detection of disease will likely yield higher cure rate. The American Cancer Society advocates annual PSA screening and digital rectal examination for men over 50 years of age.

Treatment Options

There are many treatment options for early-staged prostate cancer such as surgical resection, external beam IMRT radiation, and radioactive seed implant. More recently, the CyberKnife treatment has been used to treat localized prostate cancer. The CyberKnife treatment only consists of 4 to 5 days of radiation treatment vs. 40 days of IMRT radiation treatment. The treatment is performed on an outpatient basis and each treatment takes approximately an hour to complete. There is no pain or sensation associated with the CyberKnife, and no foley catheter is required for the radiation.

CyberKnife allows the physician to deliver a very concentrated dose of radiation at the prostate gland, yet sparing surrounding normal tissue, such as the rectum and bladder. The CyberKnife robot can also track the prostate movement during the treatment to ensure the utmost accuracy on targeting the gland.

Benefits

A recent study published the 5-year result using CyberKnife radiosurgery for prostate cancer. 93% of the patients had their tumor controlled based on follow-up PSA result. The side effects were minimal and limited to minor rectal complaints or mild urinary complaints which usually resolve with time.

In addition to minimal side effects, patients who undergo the CyberKnife treatment tend to have a better chance of potency preservation than those who have surgery and external radiation. With sub-millimeter accuracy, the CyberKnife allows the physician to treat a very specific targeted area. This capability helps avoid nerve damage during the treatment, ultimately helping retain patients’ erectile function.

In summary, the CyberKnife treatment offers an alternative treatment option for prostate cancer patients. While providing equivalent tumor control rates compared to surgery, the CyberKnife is definitely less invasive. More importantly, patients can continue their normal daily routine while undergoing treatment as there is no recovery period.

Prostate Treatment at the Pasadena CyberKnife Center

Since our inception a year ago, the Pasadena CyberKnife Center had treated more than a dozen patients with prostate cancer. Our patients are followed closely for treatment results and any side effects. We are happy to report that they are all doing very well and their PSA’s have all come down since the CyberKnife treatment.

We are currently accepting patients with low and intermediate risk prostate cancer on a CyberKnife treatment protocol, and will compare the results with other CyberKnife clinics. If you want to find out more about the CyberKnife radiosurgery technology, please call us at 626-768-1021 or visit our website at www.pasadenacyberknife.com.

Treating Trigeminal Neuralgia with CyberKnife

By pasa6872 13 May, 2011 Latest News cancer, cancer treatment, cyberknife, radiation, radiosurgery, trigeminal neuralgia, tumor

Did you know that the CyberKnife Radiosurgery is another treatment option for Trigeminal Neuralgia besides the Gamma Knife? We recently treated a patient diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia who suffered from right-sided facial pain for over a year. She lost 65 lbs because she was not able to chew or eat due to the pain. Two weeks after her CyberKnife treatment, she reported 90% reduction in facial pain. It has now been almost 4 months since her treatment, she is now pain-free and more importantly, can enjoy eating her favorite meal again.

Below is her testimonial:

“I am very satisfied with the CyberKnife radiosurgery. I had not been able to eat and sometimes not even been able to talk over the past 16 months of having TN. I lost 65 lbs, not because I wanted to, but because I couldn’t eat. I can eat now after a couple of weeks post-treatment and have put on 5 lbs. I could hardly walk very far before and now I can walk just fine. I couldn’t wear my bottom dentures before and now I can. All is going just fine.” ~ B

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a chronic condition that causes a stabbing or electric-shock-like pain in parts of the face. It usually affects older adults but may affect anyone at any age. Symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia include:

Very painful, sharp electric-like spasms that usually last a few seconds or minutes, but can become constant
Pain is usually only on one side of the face, often around the eye, cheek, and lower part of the face
Pain may be triggered by touch or sounds
Painful attacks can be triggered by common, everyday activities, such as brushing teeth, chewing, drinking, eating, lightly touching the face and shaving

It is often easy to mistake the pain of Trigeminal Neuralgia for a toothache or a headache. If you suffer from facial pain, please consult your physician.

Resource: PubMed Health http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/

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