Private MD News

New treatment option may increase survival rate of low-risk prostate cancer

Category: Prostate

Many men who have had a PSA test that indicates that they have low-risk prostate cancer opt for a strategy of watchful waiting. While this may help them avoid some of the most serious side effects associated with more aggressive treatment options like surgery or radiation therapy, it also may increase the risk that the cancer will progress.

Now, a new option has been shown to be effective for treating low-risk prostate cancer with minimal side effects. The treatment is called cyberknife radiotherapy. A new study published in the journal Radiation Oncology has shown that the therapy improved five-year survival rates of low- to moderate-risk prostate cancer and also had minimal side effects.

"As a non-invasive treatment option completed in just five visits, stereotactic radiotherapy with the CyberKnife System offers patients the benefits of more rapid recovery and reduced travel costs, allowing them to return to their normal, daily routines almost immediately as compared with the standard nine-week course of radiotherapy," said Christopher King, who led the investigation.

The treatment approach may be a viable option for men who have received elevated PSA test results but are still in a range that rules out high-risk cancer, which generally requires surgery.