Most patients can complete radiation treatment in just five days.
Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses high energy beams like X-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. A machine produces the radiation beams and directs them on the area affected by the cancer with extreme precision.
Radiation therapy is often used to treat prostate cancer that is confined to the prostate gland or that has spread only to nearby tissue. In patients with more advanced disease, radiation treatment may be used to reduce the tumor's size or to provide pain relief when cancer has spread to the bones.
Five-day radiation treatment for prostate cancer
Roswell Park uses the latest technologies and techniques that allow us to deliver your radiation therapy for prostate cancer in just five days — instead of the usual 20 to 35 days — and simultaneously reduce risk for side effects. This approach combines cutting-edge capabilities such as:
- Adaptive radiation therapy. This uses artificial intelligence software to assess the status, shape, size and position of the tumor and nearby organs and personalize your treatment in real time at every session. Roswell Park is the only provider in the region that offers this advanced treatment.
- Stereotactic precision. Advanced imaging and computerized 3D mapping means that we can target tumors with extreme accuracy, sparing healthy tissue and reducing side effects. This level of precision allows us to increase the dose of radiation delivered at each visit and reduce the overall number of treatments from dozens to just five.
- Surface guidance for body positioning. This new advancement uses 3D cameras to map your skin surface and ensure correct body position during treatment, eliminating need for permanent tattoos, markings or an immobilization device.
- Barrigel™ rectal spacer. Barrigel™ is a safe, biocompatible gel made from hyaluronic acid and water that helps protect the rectum by significantly reducing the amount of high-dose radiation that reaches it during treatment.
Most patients are eligible to have their prostate radiation in just five treatments.
Side effects of radiation therapy can include urinary and bowel problems (frequency, urgency or pain), erectile dysfunction, fatigue, and other cancers (rarely). Urinary and bowel issues, and fatigue usually go away after several weeks for most people.
Because the prostate is so close to the bladder and rectum, your physician team takes great care to minimize any radiation to these organs, and modern techniques have greatly reduced bowel issues. One tactic involves use of Barrigel a safe, biocompatible gel made from hyaluronic acid and water that creates space between the prostate and rectum. This helps to reduce complications such as inflammation, rectal bleeding, pain and bowel urgency.
The risk for erectile dysfunction is less with radiation therapy than with surgery. If it occurs, it may happen gradually, starting and worsening 1 to 3 years after your treatment. If you experience this side effect, talk to our experts about how we can help.
Your personal experience will depend on your radiation treatment plan. Talk to your radiation oncologist about what to expect from your radiation therapy.
If your PSA (a blood test used to monitor prostate cancer) stays low for 10 years after treatment, it’s a very good sign. Most doctors consider this strong evidence that the cancer has been successfully treated and is unlikely to cause future problems.
Your chances of reaching that 10-year mark without the cancer coming back depends on how aggressive your cancer was when it was first diagnosed:
- Low-risk cancer: About 98 out of 100 people do not see the cancer return within 10 years.
- Favorable intermediate risk: About 95 out of 100 people remain cancer-free at 10 years.
- Unfavorable intermediate risk: About 85 to 90 out of 100 people remain cancer-free at 10 years.
- High-risk cancer: About 70 to 80 out of 100 people remain cancer-free at 10 years.
In simple terms, the lower the risk level at diagnosis, the higher the chance that radiation therapy will cure the cancer long-term.
It matters where you go for your treatment
If radiation therapy is part of your prostate cancer treatment plan, choosing where to receive your treatments is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Roswell Park offers a world-class facility, renowned experts and more.