98 Percent Cure Of Prostate Cancer Rate With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy SBRT

2016-04-20 03:35:54

Credit: dailynews.co.tz

Credit: dailynews.co.tz

The study - the first trial to publish five-year results from SBRT treatment for prostate cancer -- found a 98.6 percent cure rate with SBRT, a noninvasive form of radiation treatment that involves high-dose radiation beams entering the body through various angles and intersecting at the desired target. It is a state-of-the-art technology that allows for a concentrated dose to reach the tumor while limiting the radiation dose to surrounding healthy tissue.

"The high cure rate is striking when compared to the reported five-year cure rates from other approaches like surgery or conventional radiation, which range between 80 to 90 percent, while the side effects of this treatment are comparable to other types of treatment," said Dr. Raquibul Hannan, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and lead author for the study. "What we now have is a more potent and effective form of completely noninvasive treatment for prostate cancer, conveniently completed in five treatments."

Conventional treatment options for early stage prostate cancer include:

  • Prostatectomy, the surgical removal of the prostate gland, which can be done with minimally invasive techniques and robotic assistance;
  • Brachytherapy, in which doctors implant numerous small radioactive seeds about the size of a grain of rice into the prostate gland using multiple large needles inserted through the skin in the operating room. Once implanted, the seeds release their radioactivity directly into the prostate gland; and
  • External beam radiation, which involves 42 to 45 treatments administered over two or more months, five days a week.