Nearly one in six American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. At Capital Health’s Cancer Center, a multidisciplinary team helps men return to active and productive lives using state-of-the-art technology and advanced treatment options. One of these, CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery, is an outpatient procedure that safely treats prostate cancer patients in as few as five treatments with minimal to no side effects. Other conventional radiation therapy options can take up to 40 treatment sessions and have greater risk for side effects.
Capital Health was the 30th provider in the United States (third in New Jersey) to offer CyberKnife® as a treatment option for cancers located anywhere in the body. In the 11 years since introducing CyberKnife® at Capital Health Cancer Center, the team has treated more than 1,300 patients with cancerous and non-cancerous tumors.
A Study in Survival
Experienced radiation oncologists and their team at Capital Health have participated in an eight-year national study (in association with Accuray, manufacturer of CyberKnife®) documenting their experience and outcomes in treating prostate cancer with CyberKnife®.
In addition, between August 2008 and August 2016, 75 men were treated for prostate cancer with CyberKnife® alone. Patients defined as low-risk and intermediate-risk participated in this retrospective quality study. Overall, CyberKnife® achieved a 97 percent survival rate.
Prostate specific antigens (PSA), a protein produced exclusively by prostate cells, is one of several factors that are measured to determine successful treatment. In general, a higher PSA level indicates a greater likelihood of prostate cancer. All except four men in the Capital Health study had a decrease in their PSA from their initial reading. At three years, 91 percent had PSA numbers that were consistent with national guidelines for healthy levels. In addition, 71 percent of the men seen at their last follow up visit maintained their pre-treatment sexual function, and 72 percent maintained at five years. This is a higher rate of potency preservation when comparing to other prostate cancer treatment modalities.
“CyberKnife® has proven to be compatible to other prostate cancer treatment modalities, and our experience is consistent with this observation,” said Dr. Shirnett Williamson, medical director of Radiation Oncology Services at Capital Health Cancer Center. “In addition to being recommended for low- and intermediate-risk patients, CyberKnife® is an option to more advanced prostate cancer patients to boost their intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), or as a re-treatment option.”
No Pain, All Gain
“Patients are amazed at how easy the treatments actually are and that there are no incisions or cuts,” said Dr. Timothy Chen, medical director of Stereotactic Radiosurgery at Capital Health Cancer Center. “CyberKnife’s flexible robotic arm enables us to access hard-to-reach areas anywhere in the body. It is continuously taking images as it rotates around the patient, guiding us as we deliver radiation directly to the tumor site with sub-millimeter accuracy. This is important because we always want to preserve healthy cells surrounding the tumor site and deliver better outcomes.” Patients can even stay in their own clothes during treatment, which provides greater comfort.
Patient benefits for being treated with CyberKnife® include:
- No Incisions
- No Pain
- No Bleeding
- No Anesthesia (mild sedation only in rare cases)
- No Recovery Time
Advanced Cancer Care
For men diagnosed with prostate cancer, CyberKnife® is now a standard therapy approved by national guidelines and is approved by most insurance companies as well as Medicare.
Capital Health Cancer Center, located at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, is the area’s most advanced provider of cancer treatment delivered by some of the most experienced medical experts. For more information or to find out if you are a candidate for CyberKnife®, call 609.303.4565 or visit capitalcyberknife.com.