PROSATE CANCER TREATMENT OPTIONS

Do I Have Any Effective Choices For Prostate Cancer Treatment Besides Surgery?

Yes. In past years, treatment for prostate cancer was typically a radical prostatectomy (surgical removal). Now there are several ways to safely and effectively treat prostate cancer that are even more effective and much less invasive.

A recent 2007 consensus panel from the American Urological Association reviewed 1,400 research studies, concluding that both seed implants and external radiation were effective treatments.

Proton beam radiation, HIFU, high dose rate brachytherapy, and cryotherapy were not recommended as primary treatment due to either poor results or lack of the necessary long-term data.

Results from the Prostate Cancer Results Study Group published in 2012 showed that for all stages of prostate cancer, radiation results were superior to surgery.¹

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Does NOT Recommend Proton Beam Therapy For Prostate Cancer Treatment

Although relatively new to Jacksonville, proton beam is an older technology actually in use since the 1950s.

Recent studies have shown that men treated with protons have a higher rate of rectal complications and a higher rate of developing secondary (new) cancers, than men treated with seed implants or external radiation. In addition, there are no studies showing the long-term 10-year SUCCESS RATES for proton radiation. As prostate cancer is often slow to recur, it is essential to know the 10-year SUCCESS RATES after treatment.

In contrast, seed implants and external radiation have been extensively evaluated in hundreds of scientific papers in major peer-reviewed medical journals. 20-year outcomes are known for seed implants and external radiation, compared to only 5-year results for proton beam radiation.

A review of current studies shows that patients treated with proton beam therapy suffer up to 45% higher prostate cancer recurrence rates, have an increased risk of developing radiation-induced cancers, and have more long-term rectal complications, than men treated with seed implants.

For these reasons, most major prostate cancer centers have decided not to pursue proton beam radiation and instead focus their research on more effective seed implant and VMAT programs.