The Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Has 98 Percent Cure Rate For Prostate Cancer

A five-year study shows that prostate cancer can be treated using the Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) by 98 percent cure rate. SBRT is a noninvasive form of radiation therapy that includes high-dose radiation beams that enter through the body through different angles and traversing at the desired target.

Science Daily reports that the study was conducted by researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Raquibal Hannan, the lead author of the study and the Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology said that the high cure rate of SBRT is outstanding unlike the other treatment procedures such as conventional radiation or surgery, which has 80 to 90 percent cure rate.

The SBRT is a state-of-the-art technology that allocates for a thickened dose to reach the tumor while reducing the radiation dose encompassing health tissue. Dr. Hannan said that what they have now is more effective form and more potent noninvasive treatment for prostate cancer that can be completed in five treatments.

Dr. Robert Timmerman, Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology and the Director of the Annette Simmons Stereotactic Treatment Center at UT Southwestern said that the current form of radiation is 44 treatments to be given more than nine weeks. On the other hand, the SBRT therapy is a delivery of highly focused radiation in only five treatments. This allows the patients with prostate cancer to return to their normal lives quickly. He further said that SBRT is more convenient and has improved potency.

WebMD states that prostate cancer may occur approximately 80 percent of men who reach the age of 80. The early stage of prostate cancer may not show symptoms. On the other hand, once a tumor spreads beyond the prostate, some symptoms may occur. These include an inability to urinate standing up, frequent urinating particularly at night, blood in urine or semen, difficulty in starting or stopping the urine, a painful sensation during urination and a weak or interrupted urinary stream. Prostate cancer can be treated using chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy and cryotherapy.