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Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the U.S. American Cancer Society predicts that during 2012, U.S. will have more that 241, 000 newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases.
While surgery and radiation therapy may have similar outcomes for early-stage prostate cancer, radiation therapy is the primary option for locally advanced prostate cancer and can also be used for localized prostate cancer. For more aggressive tumors, radiation therapy using protons may be used in combination with hormone therapy. Proton therapy allows higher doses of radiation to be delivered to the prostate with fewer side effects.
Benefits of Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer
There are many benefits of proton therapy treatment for prostate cancer:
- Precise, less invasive, accurate delivery of high radiation doses to kill cancerous cells in the prostate
- Minimal impact to surrounding, healthy tissues and vital organs, such as the bladder and rectum
- Better quality of life for patients
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Figure X: A side by side comparison of the dose distribution from a Volumetric Arc photon therapy treatment (left) , the latest technology in photon therapy, and a modulated scanning proton therapy plan (right). While both the photon and proton treatment plans are able to deliver conformal dose to the intended target, the photon plan requires large amounts of dose (represented by the colored shading) to be deposited outside the intended treatment area to do so while the proton treatment plan is able to deliver the dose with significantly less radiation to healthy tissue. |
What to Expect During Proton Treatment for Prostate Cancer
With proton therapy for prostate cancer, treatments typically take only 15 to 20 minutes each day and are delivered five days a week for approximately eight weeks. There is little to no recovery time after treatment, and the risk of immediate post-treatment impotency is minimized, especially in those with good sexual function prior to treatment. Most patients tolerate the treatments extremely well and are able to continue to work, exercise and remain sexually active during their treatment course and immediately after treatment is complete. |
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