A 40-year-old male asked:
is proton therapy the best radiation solution for prostate cancer.?
3 doctor answers
Dr. William A Biermann answered
45 years experience Medical Oncology
Not clear at all: This is a relatively new approach to target the prostate gland in a different way. A new kind of mouse trap.
There is currently insufficient data to say that it is better than other treatments for prostate ca. It is only done at a few centers because of the equipment expense.
The future of the field is a genomic test in development that hopefully will detemine if any treatment is appropriate.
Answered on Sep 28, 2016
Dr. Addagada Rao answered
55 years experience General Surgery
Slightly better edge: Proton radiation has a better advantage than traditional radiation, it causes less complications, proton mass with positive charge will not pass beyond the tumor, precise high is delivered at the tumor. Proton generators are very expensive, available centers are limited.
Answered on Aug 8, 2012
1
1 thank
Dr. Jeffrey Buchsbaum answered
30 years experience Radiation Oncology
Complex question: This is highly debated at present. If every option cost the same, it might be the best external beam option. Data questioning it recently are retrospective, based on 65yo+ data sets, and cost biased. That being said, one can get great surgery (and bad), great imrt (and bad) and great observation (and bad). The best treatment is unique to a person's situation (and their teams experience).
Answered on Sep 28, 2016
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Dr. Phillip Porch answered
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Around 35: This depends on the radiation oncologist but the standard external beam radiation to the prostate takes around 7 weeks with 5 treatments per week. The ... Read More
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Dr. Gurmukh Singh answered
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A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. Mitchell Kamrava answered
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Possibly: I'm not sure exactly what you are referring to by radiation prostatitis but if you are referring to increased urinary urgency and frequency then yes t ... Read More
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