The East Texas Medical Center Cancer Institute is the only
cancer center in the region to offer the CyberKnife Robotic
Radiosurgery System to treat men with prostate cancer.
"Prostate cancer patients now have the option of using
CyberKnife for treatment," said Todd Sigmon, vice president of the
ETMC Cancer Institute. "Four CyberKnife treatments have been shown
to be as effective as 40 treatments of intensity modulated
radiation therapy (IMRT), long considered the gold standard of
radiation therapy. CyberKnife is recognized as an accepted
treatment option by Medicare and other major insurance carriers,
giving many men a choice in how they wish to be treated."
CyberKnife is a type of radiation therapy referred to as
stereotactic radiosurgery because of its ability to destroy tumors
with knifelike precision, sparing surrounding healthy tissue. The
procedures are largely non-invasive and patients should experience
very little discomfort during planning and treatment.
"CyberKnife offers advantages to patients who have to travel for
treatment, since this course can be completed in as little as a
week versus up to eight weeks for IMRT. We are receiving
calls from patients as far away as Dallas who are excited about
potentially using CyberKnife for their prostate cancer
treatment. A man with a prostate cancer diagnosis should
discuss whether CyberKnife is a reasonable option for treatment in
his particular case, so we ask that they call our CyberKnife
Coordinator and discuss this with our care team," Sigmon said.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in six men will
develop prostate cancer in his lifetime. The disease is the
second-leading cause of cancer death in men. This year, 241,000 men
in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with prostate
cancer, while over 28,000 men will die from the disease.
Prostate cancer screenings are recommended for men over the age
of 50 and for men 40 or older who are African-American or have a
family history of the disease.
The ETMC Cancer Institute has been a leader in the war against
prostate cancer for years with free screenings, educational
seminars, support groups and the Henry M. Bell Golf Tournament. For
more information about the ETMC Cancer Institute and CyberKnife
please call 903-595-5550