Radiation Therapy - Treating Prostate Cancer Phoenix
The most common cancer treated with radiation therapy in Phoenix among males is prostate cancer. Phoenix prostate cancer patients are at an advantage as radiation therapy for prostate cancer in Phoenix, is truly leading edge. If it is diagnosed early this cancer can be successfully treated with radiation therapy. The difficulty for Phoenix men is that prostate cancer often shows no warning signs. Many in Phoenix don’t suffer prostate cancer symptoms until after the cancer has spread beyond the prostate. Since about one in every six men in Phoenix will develop prostate cancer during their lifetimes, the lack of overt prostate cancer symptoms can be concerning.Until recently it has been more difficult to treat prostate cancer with radiation therapy in Phoenix due to the fact that the prostate is an organ that moves. During the course of a treatment, the organ can move as much as a centimeter, which can cause the radiation to be focused toward the incorrect spot. Now, however, there is image guided radiation therapy available in Phoenix to address the movement during radiation therapy treatment.
IGRT, such as CALYSO which stands for image guided radiation therapy, is a specialized technique used by select Phoenix radiation therapy cancer centers that works to track exactly where the prostate is at the specific moment when the radiation cancer treatment is being performed.
This allows for the cancerous cells to be targeted with accuracy, with less worries of applying radiation to nearby healthy cells.
There are actually several methods of Image Guided Radiation Therapy available at cancer centers in Phoenix. Healthcare concerning cancer treatment is important, so knowing your options can make the difference. With image guided radiation therapy, cancer patients can be scanned with a cone-beam CT scan immediately prior to a radiation therapy treatment. With this method, the imager is rotated around the patient so as to produce a 3-D image of the tumor. This image is then compared to previous reference images either manually or automatically. This 3-D image matching can help technicians to accurately focus the radiation on the tumor.
Another involves placing markers also called ‘beacons’ by some Phoenix area cancer radiation therapy center in the tumor. Then, before each radiation therapy treatment, the prostate is imaged so that the technician can see exactly where the tumor is so that it can be targeted. This type of imaging is called on-board imaging, or OBI. Only a Select few Cancer centers in Phoenix offer this type of IGRT for prostate cancer treatment.
The advancements in radiation therapy available at Phoenix cancer radiation therapy center, makes healthcare decisions with regards to cancer radiation treatment easier to make. New forms of radiation therapy can give hope to those seeking cancer care. Knowing the options available to you when it comes to prostate cancer treatment with radiation therapy will help you make an informed decision about your treatment. It not only helps to ask the right questions when meeting with your Phoenix cancer radiation doctor, but it also helps to know the answers to some of the most common radiation therapy FAQ’s.
The advancements in radiation therapy available at Phoenix cancer radiation therapy center, makes healthcare decisions with regards to cancer radiation treatment easier to make. New forms of radiation therapy can give hope to those seeking cancer care. Knowing the options available to you when it comes to prostate cancer treatment with radiation therapy will help you make an informed decision about your treatment. It not only helps to ask the right questions when meeting with your Phoenix cancer radiation doctor, but it also helps to know the answers to some of the most common radiation therapy FAQ’s.
Practice Specializes in:
- Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy