CANCER TREATMENT WITH CYBERKNIFE
If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you will want to find out how the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System can effectively treat your prostate cancer with no pain and no surgery. Located at Providence Cancer Center in Anchorage, the Alaska CyberKnife Center prides itself on treating cancer patients from all over Alaska, Canada, the Northwest U.S. and surrounding areas to work with our skilled cancer specialists and take advantage of the unique benefits of CyberKnife.
CyberKnife is stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) that directs radiation in very high doses to the exact location of your tumor. Its flexible robotic arm can focus hundreds of laser-like beams of radiation that can be adjusted in diameter and moved at almost any angle for the best possible reach. The ability to target only the prostate and not harm the surrounding nerve bundles and organs, such as the rectum and the bladder, is extremely important in maintaining the proper functioning of these vital organs and preventing erectile dysfunction.
One of the primary challenges of treating prostate tumors with radiation is that the prostate gland moves unpredictably throughout the course of treatment. The CyberKnife System continually tracks and automatically corrects for the movement of the prostate and the tumor in real time. This unique capability ensures that radiation continually hits only the intended target without interruption.
Four to five tiny slivers of gold (called fiducials) are inserted into your are inserted into your prostate to determine the exact location throughout treatments. These help guide the CyberKnife system as your tumor moves.
CyberKnife can be used as a primary treatment for most stages of prostate cancer, but is especially effective for early and intermediate risk stages. If you have a more advanced or high risk prostate cancer, your doctor may recommend combining a few CyberKnife treatments with external beam irradiation or other cancer treatments. Surgery is also a common prostate cancer treatment.
Our experienced radiation oncologists work closely with Urologists and/or patients directly to determine the best method of treatment for each patient. CyberKnife does not have the same surgical risks of erectile dysfunction or recovery time. We suggest that patients explore their treatment options by calling our center directly to speak with one of cancer experts.
ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER
Prostate cancer is the most frequent type of cancer found in men, second only to skin cancer. Thankfully, 92% of prostate cancers are found early, before the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body. Survival rates are excellent for early state prostate cancer, with 99% living at least five years after diagnosis and 98% living 10 years after.
Still, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the U.S., even though the death rate has been falling steadily. More than 95% of prostate cancers are the same type, called adenocarcinomas.
BENEFITS OF CYBERKNIFE TREATMENT FOR PROSTATE CANCER
CyberKnife is clinically proven as a successful prostate cancer treatment in Anchorage. The most recent clinical studies that have followed more than a thousand patients for up to eight years show that CyberKnife is very effective in treating early and intermediate risk stages of prostate cancer. The ability to precisely target the moving prostate is its primary benefit. Here are additional benefits of using Alaska CyberKnife Center for your prostate cancer treatment:
- OFTEN PAINLESS – Your CyberKnife treatment requires no surgery, no anesthesia, no cutting, and is usually conducted without experiencing any pain.
- MODERN – Your treatment is delivered in our comfortable outpatient Anchorage cancer center, not a hospital. You will lie on a cushioned couch with no uncomfortable compression devices to immobilize you, as CyberKnife tracks your every movement in real-time.
- CONVENIENT – Compared to conventional radiation therapy which is 45 treatments, over nine weeks, CyberKnife is one treatment per day just four or five days.
- PRECISE – Using exceptional accuracy the CyberKnife system targets your exact prostate tumor location using its linear accelerator mounted to a robotic arm to deliver radiation from an infinite number of different angles. Additionally, using sophisticated software and imaging, it directs the radiation beam, tracking each and every patient and tumor movement throughout treatment correcting and adjusting to remain on target of the tumor.
- PROTECTIVE – Conventional radiation treatment has been and still is a useful treatment for prostate cancer. But the treatment itself, does not have the same accuracy as CyberKnife. As the prostate may move during treatment, conventional radiation therapy must treat a larger margin around the prostate to ensure radiation to the prostate, resulting in higher doses of radiation to the nearby rectum, bladder and nerves at the base of the penis, whereas CyberKnife tracks movement in real-time, which allows the machine to treat tumors with sub-millimeter accuracy and thereby protect the surrounding tissue and organ.
- NON-SURGICAL – CyberKnife has rapidly become the primary treatment for prostate cancer, whether patients are operable or inoperable, CyberKnife is a very popular non-surgical treatment option. With CyberKnife there are no surgical risks, less chance of erectile dysfunction, impotence, incontinence and no painful recovery.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CYBERKNIFE IN ANCHORAGE
At the Alaska CyberKnife Center, we understand that there are a variety of treatments for prostate cancer. We believe CyberKnife provides the best hope in combating prostate cancer. Call our Anchorage radiation oncology experts today at 907-771-0517 and set up your first consultation.
Or, complete our online appointment form. We have years of experience in treating prostate cancer and are ready to review all the treatment options and see what best meets your goals by balancing cure and quality of life. Together, we can develop an individualized treatment plan that is best for you.