Proton therapy for prostate cancer

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225 East 126th Street, New York, NY 10035 

New York Proton Center

A prostate cancer treatment unlike any other

Bladder cancers have a high correlation to prostate cancer. The types are named for the cells they affect, usually in the bladder wall.

• Urothelial carcinoma (or “transitional cell carcinoma”) is by far most common, causing uncontrolled tumor growth in the innermost cells lining the bladder.
• Squamous cell carcinoma is the result of bladder inflammation or irritation occurring over many months or years.
• Adenocarcinoma forms in cells that make up glands.

Kidney cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in kidney tissue that eventually forms a tumor. Cells can break off from the tumor and spread to other tissue and organs. The most common kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma.

Kidney cancer patients are at increased risk of prostate cancer.

Localized prostate cancer, which includes stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 cancer, has not grown into nearby tissues or more distant body parts. There are three types:

• Very-low-risk and low-risk prostate cancer, where there is a risk of metastasis and/or recurrence but it is low.
• Intermediate-risk prostate cancer, which may grow or spread in a few years.
• High-risk prostate cancer, which has the highest likelihood of spreading and, even after treatment, recurring.

Prostate cancer will sometimes grow quickly and spread to lymph nodes, pea-sized pieces of tissue that filter a waste product called lymph. When this happens, a larger area needs to be targeted for treatment that includes the prostate gland and the lymph nodes. Proton therapy is particularly beneficial when treating large areas in the pelvis.  

Data suggest that men who have undergone prostatectomy for prostate cancer may benefit from follow-up treatment with proton therapy, depending on several factors:

• Gleason score
• Seminal vesicle and lymph nodes involvement
• PSA levels

AAmong men treated for prostate cancer, up to 30 percent see their cancer return. Fewer than half of them can be cured by traditional treatment.

Proton therapy can treat these “recurrent” tumors more safely than other methods, giving patients a better chance for a cure.

Every tumor is unique: Where it occurs in the body, its shape and size, its relationship to other organs and tissue. Conventional radiation cannot accommodate these differences effectively. The New York Proton Center can. We customize every facet of treatment, taking into account the many variables that make each case different from the next. Not one size fits all. One size fits only you.

Treatment tailored to you

Types of prostate cancer treated at the New York Proton Center

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Insurance coverage

The New York Proton Center accepts both Medicare and Medicaid and is in-network with nearly all commercial insurances. We will work with you to complete all the paperwork, explain to your insurance company the reasoning behind your treatment plan and assist you throughout the process.

A clearly superior treatment option

Proton radiation therapy is an advanced and extremely precise form of radiation treatment that targets and destroys tumor cells while reducing the risks of harmful side effects. It may be right for you if you are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer or if you have been found to have a recurrence after prior surgery or radiation therapy.

Many of our prostate cancer patients can be treated in as few as five treatments with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) proton therapy delivered over just one or two weeks. SBRT involves delivering a higher dose of radiation per treatment, administered in just five days and delivered every other day. This approach significantly reduces the treatment duration compared to the standard five-week course of radiation therapy. The accelerated treatment schedule offers the advantage of completing therapy faster, making it more convenient, particularly for patients traveling from outside of the New York City area.

Treatment with proton therapy kills prostate cancer cells with a very high radiation dose. But because the protons are also highly targeted, they deliver more radiation to the prostate cancer and less to healthy organs surrounding the prostate gland, like the rectum, bowel, bladder, and hip bones. As a result, proton therapy minimizes the likelihood of side effects and can better preserve your quality of life during and after treatment.

Proton therapy is our focus

The New York Proton Center has a singular focus—to provide adults and children with cancer the most sophisticated and advanced form of radiation therapy. While we do not provide surgery or chemotherapy, some of our patients do receive these important treatments from other healthcare providers in coordination with proton therapy.

When Gregory Cohen, a 71-year-old food enthusiast with a love of sports cars, was diagnosed with prostate cancer, his search for treatment options led him to proton therapy. What Greg did not realize at the time is what a life-changing experience his treatment would be. Today Greg is in remission. But he’ll never forget the remarkable team at New York Proton Center that supported him throughout his journey.

Proton therapy vs. traditional radiation (including Cyberknife/SBRT)

Compared to conventional radiation treatment including Cyberknife/SBRT, proton therapy can deliver high radiation doses to the prostate and pelvic lymph nodes while better sparing the healthy bowel and bladder. For men with prostate cancer, the side effects of traditional radiation treatment can have serious quality of life implications—particularly relating to urinary, bowel and erectile function.

Because proton therapy reduces the amount of radiation to healthy organs near the prostate by 80%–allowing significantly less unnecessary irradiation to the bladder, bowels, and surrounding healthy tissues–there is reduced risk of secondary cancers and other long-term effects compared to traditional radiation.

For these reasons, proton therapy is particularly beneficial for men with high-risk prostate cancer that has spread or is at risk of spreading to the lymph nodes and in treating patients with prostate cancer that has returned after previous radiation therapy or prostatectomy.

Proton therapy treatments are delivered on an outpatient basis. Most patients continue their normal activities throughout treatment, without having their quality of life impacted by their proton therapy.