About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer affects the prostate gland, which is the part of a man's reproductive system that helps produce semen. It is located under the bladder, behind the rectum, and it surrounds the urethra. Prostate cancer develops when cells begin to grow abnormally in the prostate.
Prostate cancer is common in men older than 50. For some, prostate cancer does not produce symptoms. For other men, it can cause blood in the urine, difficulty urinating, and lower back and pelvis pain.
Treating Prostate Cancer with CyberKnife Radiation
Treatments for prostate cancer often include surgery and conventional radiation. Since the prostate is a moving target, this movement can make performing surgery or conventional radiation a challenge.
With CyberKnife radiation, computers and imaging tools are used to find the exact location of the tumor. The technology tracks the movement of the prostate and the tumor as a patient breathes and as other bodily processes occur. The tool operates with enough precision and accuracy to enable doctors to focus radiation onto the tumor itself and not on surrounding healthy tissue.
What Should I Expect from CyberKnife Prostate Cancer Treatment?
- CyberKnife treatment begins with the implantation in the prostate of four tiny gold fiducials that act as markers or targets for the system’s missile-like rays.
- Afterward, a team of experienced physicians uses MRIs, CT scans and three-dimensional technology to pinpoint the exact location and size of the patient’s cancer to create a treatment plan.
- A week or two later, the patient returns for five days of therapy over one to two weeks, with each treatment lasting about an hour.
- Patients are usually able to resume their normal activities almost immediately.
- Follow-up consists of regularly scheduled PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests and monitoring.