Quote:
Originally Posted by tumbleweed
Daff - is Proton beam therapy a form of Brachytherapy? Can you offer any insight into why you went for Proton beam therapy instead of seeds?
Thanks,
T.
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The basic choices presented by my urologist were surgery or seeds.
If I had not looked at other alternatives on my own, I suppose I could have
done either of those. Proton beams are a form of radiation and not a form of Brachytherapy. It's a very targeted form of radiation doing minimal damage to surrounding tissue, thus the reduced liklihood of serious side effects. As you've learned from the previous post, there is no exit dose of radiation as with many other forms. Proton beams are used in treating other serious cancers as well as prostate cancer.
Each patient is different, and the margin treated around the prostate will be slightly different. So it can treat areas that surgery may miss.
I ruled out seeds because of my perception that side effects were greater.
For a while, I was on the fence and thought I'd have to toss a coin to choose between surgery and protons. But after my research and especially after my consultation at University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, I was 100% sure this is what I wanted. As part of the consultation, they review one's biopsy slides and ultimately perform other pre-treatment tests (none of which were suggested prior to my planned surgery).
Proton beam therapy has been around for more than 20 years and is not experimental. It does require more time, about two months of daily (5 days a week) short treatments. The pioneer location is Loma Linda University in California where over 7,000 prostate patients have been treated since 1990. There are several new centers proposed or under construction-- not inexpensive as each center costs over $100 million. The largest to date will open at Univ of Pennsylvania next year. Most patients' insurance does cover this treatment.
Most patients are self-referred. What I tell people is not what alternative treatment they SHOULD do, as that's a decision each has to make. What I do strongly suggest is that for a matter so important, one should at least learn about the alternatives, and then be in a position to make an informed decision. While doctors can help, they generally don't present the array of choices.
I belong to a group of 3,000 members who've had this treatment and you'd find out about this by getting Marckini's book.
If you do a search on this board, you'll find my previous posts on proton- and I encourage you to read those as well. I can answer more specific questions after you've done some more reading. Surgery is certainly a good choice for many, but there are other good choices too.
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