Proton radiation therapy boost helps avoid prostate cancer recurrence

SCIENCE CODEX: Men who get a “boost” of proton therapy after receiving a standard course of X-ray radiation therapy have fewer recurrences of their prostate cancer compared to men who do not receive the extra dose of proton radiation. READ MORE>

Read Full Post »

May be 15 years before we know if proton beam radio-therapy is safe, effective prostate cancer treatment

NEW PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: It may well take another 15 years before we can collect enough data to demonstrate with any degree of conviction that proton beam radio-therapy is a valuable form of treatment for localised prostate cancer. READ MORE>

Read Full Post »

Brits go for proton beam treatment for prostate cancer, despite fact it is unproven

NEW PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: The UK’s Ministry of Health is committing to the broader availability of proton beam radiation therapy – despite the treatment’s unproven record so far. READ MORE>

Read Full Post »

Proton versus intensity modulated radiation therapy – the debate heats up

JULY 21: HERALD-TRIBUNE.COM (Florida): A debate between radiation therapy specialists and those using proton therapy has hotted up in the US. READ MORE>

“We take issue with Dr Michael Dattoli (letter, “Prostate cancer article needs clarification,” July 15) that intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, is more effective than proton therapy when it comes to minimising side effects for prostate cancer patients,” writes Leonard Arzt from the US National Association for Proton Therapy.

Read Full Post »

PROSTATE CLAIM: New paper on proton beam radiotherapy fails to convince

JUNE 27: NEW PROSTATE CANCER INFOLINK: The relative merits of proton beam radiotherapy and the more commonly available intensity-modulated radiotherapy as forms of external beam radiation for prostate cancer are much debated … with minimal supportive evidence on either side of the debate because no comparative trial has ever been carried out. READ MORE>

Read Full Post »

PROSTATE TREATMENT: Size matters with more precise proton therapy

JUNE 20: KING5.COM: Compared to radiation, proton therapy is more precise and has fewer side effects, but there were limits on how far the beam would penetrate into the body – until now. READ MORE>

Read Full Post »

PROSTATE TREATMENT: Study shows better outcomes with permanent implant brachtherapy

JUNE 20: URO TODAY: A new study shows excellent outcomes in low- to intermediate-risk patients treated with permanent prostate implant brachytherapy, suggesting at least equivalent 5-year biochemical control and a greater proportion of men achieving lower PSA nadirs, compared with those treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy or conformal proton beam radiotherapy. READ MORE>

Read Full Post »

PROSTATE RESEARCH: Use of gold markers in proton therapy tested by US researchers

JUNE 19: URO TODAY: Caution may be warranted if helical gold markers are considered for use in proton therapy, say US researchers who tested the feasibility of using gold markers with reduced mass to avoid disturbing the therapeutic beam. READ MORE>

Read Full Post »

PROSTATE TREATMENT: Florida doctors use new approach to proton therapy

JUNE 5:  MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS BLOG:  Doctors at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute are using a new proton therapy technique called uniform scanning, which moves a single beam of protons in a sweeping or scanning motion, enabling the beam to reach deeper into the body and cover a wider area than traditional proton therapy.  This allows proton therapy to be an option for men with prostate cancer who have a hip circumference of more than 50 inches. READ MORE>

Read Full Post »