Advances in radiation therapy for early state prostate cancer now include the innovative Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery (SBRT).
Unlike traditional surgery, which involves incisions, SBRT is a noninvasive form of therapy that uses VMAT/IMRT planning to target high doses of radiation to the prostate with minimal impact on the surrounding healthy tissue. Depending on the stage of a patient’s prostate cancer and other factors, SBRT can be a very effective treatment.
At the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital, Stereotactic Radiosurgery is offered for various cancers such as early stage lung cancer, brain metastases and now prostate cancer. In contrast to traditional external beam radiation therapy SBRT delivers ultra-hyofractionated high dose radiation in 5 treatment days. SBRT has unique radiobiologic characteristics, which can cause dramatic tumor response, leading to the associated term "ablative" radiotherapy.
VMAT/IMRT is coupled with image guidance radiation therapy (IGRT) provide the most advanced technology in treatment. IGRT provides an accurate location of a patient’s prostate prior to each treatment. This technology is vitally important because the prostate gland can vary in position. IGRT tracks the location of the prostate and the surrounding organs before each radiation dose is delivered, allowing for more effective doses of radiation to be accurately delivered while minimizing radiation to normal tissues including the rectum, bladder or bowel.
For more information about Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery (SBRT) or Prostate Cancer at The Center for Cancer Care, visit griffinhealth.org/cancer or call Sharon at 202-732-1280.