With a variety of options available, knowledgeis important when facing the treatment ofprostate cancer, one of the most prevalentcancers among men.
According to the American Cancer Society,an estimated 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosedin the United States and nearly 30,000 men will die from the diseasethis year.
The good news is that the disease can be detected early throughroutine yearly exams and successfully treated. The prostate–specificantigen (PSA) test and the digital rectal examination (DRE)should be offered annually, beginning at age 50, to men who have alife expectancy of at least 10 years.
Men at high risk (African–American men and men with a strongfamily history of one or more first–degree relatives diagnosed withprostate cancer at an early age) should begin testing at age 45. Formen at average risk and high risk, information should be providedabout what is known and what is uncertain about the benefits andlimitations of early detection and treatment of prostate cancer sothat they can make an informed decision about testing.
Men diagnosed with the disease are faced with the complicatedtask of educating themselves on the latest available primarytreatment options which can include surgery, hormone therapy,internal radiation implants (brachytherapy) and external beamirradiation. The size and specific location of the cancer as well aslifestyle choices of the patient may determine which treatment optionis best for an individual.
Alone or in combination with other treatment modalities, externalbeam radiation therapy is used in more than half of the mendiagnosed with cancer to initially treat and control prostate cancer.The most state–of–the–art external beam radiation therapy techniquesutilizing Intensity–Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)and Image–Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) are now available atOncology of San Antonio.
IMRT is the most widely used radiation therapy for prostatecancer. It provides highly sophisticated radiotherapy usingcomputer–controlled, X–ray linear accelerators to deliver radiationdoses with high precision. Treatment is carefully planned using3–D CT images of the patient in conjunction with computerizeddose calculations to determine the dose intensity pattern that willbest conform to the tumor shape. IMRT is also used in combinationwith IGRT which localizes the treatment tumor site dailybefore each treatment for pinpoint accuracy and effectiveness.
“Typically, a combination of several intensity–modulated fieldscoming from different beam directions produce a custom tailoredradiation dose that maximizes tumor dose while also protectingadjacent normal tissues,” said Dr. Rajiv Dahiya, radiation oncologist,of Oncology of San Antonio (OSA) with offices at BaptistCancer Center, Live Oak Cancer Center and Methodist CancerCenter.
Because of the precision involved with IMRT and IGRT, Dahiyacan use higher doses of radiation to more effectively treat the cancer.These external radiation therapy treatments are performed onan outpatient basis and provides excellent survival rates equivalentto radical surgery for prostate cancer patients. It is a non–invasiveand relatively painless treatment that helps maintain a patient’shigh quality of life during the treatment process.
“It is an excellent way of delivering high doses of radiationtherapy while limiting the radiation dose to surrounding areas,”Dahiya said. “The treatment combination of IMRT and IGRT isquickly becoming the standard of care for treating prostate cancer.”
Oncology San Antonio offers advanced medical and radiationoncology services to patients throughout San Antonio. OSA’steam of expert physicians include radiation oncologists Dr. Jory D.Lange, Dr. Gary W. West, Dr. Frank T. Dancuart, Dr. Raj S. Dahiya,Dr. Marta Caceres Dahiya and medical oncologists Dr. Syed N.Raza, Dr. Zulfi M. Jaffar and Dr. Jayasree Rao, who provide radiationtherapy, targeted drug therapies and diagnostic services at thecenters.
The Baptist and Live Oak Cancer Centers are equipped withthree linear accelerators delivering Intensity Modulated RadiationTherapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT). IMRTand IGRT are two significant innovations in radiation therapytechnology being used to fight cancer.
In addition to IMRT and IGRT, the centers are equipped withThree–Dimensional (3–D) Conformal Therapy, Electron BeamTherapy, High–Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy, Low–Dose RateBrachytherapy, Surface Radiation Application, and Partial BreastIrradiation (PBI). OSA’s physicians also offer expertise in their useof Gamma Knife and Cyberknife Radiosurgery.
