While many men find their prostate
cancer is low-grade and slow growing, that’s not always the case. For those
who discover more aggressive treatments are recommended to tackle cancer that’s
equally as aggressive, the news can be disheartening. After all, the side
effects associated with some prostate cancer treatments are a bit intimidating
even if the outcome of their use is a greater chance of survival. Enter a
relatively new form of radiation therapy that gets to the heart of the matter
without necessarily damaging nearby healthy cells.
Called image-guided radiation
therapy, or IGRT for short, this treatment involves the use of highly targeted
strong beams of radiation directly at the tumor itself. Unlike other prostate
cancer treatments that may have a difficult time avoiding the nearby bladder
and rectum, this option is much more precise.
Radiation therapy works by
delivering a powerful beam of radiation directly to cancerous tissues.
Radiation kills cancer cells. The unfortunate side effect, however, is that it
also kills healthy cells. That means greater precision is critical for sparing
healthy nearby tissue and organs.
In addition to delivering a pinpoint
ray that enables the use of higher, more effective radiation doses, IGRT also
provides greater inside during delivery. Prostate cancer tumors are known to
shift slightly from day to day. To
compensate for that, IGRT begins with an image to guide each new treatment.
IGRT is recommended for treating
prostate cancer that doctors believe will improve with the use of radiation. It
is best to discuss this option and all other treatment options directly with an
oncologist or other healthcare professional.
Men who are diagnosed with prostate
cancer will find there are a variety of treatments available to help them. The
best option will depend on the particular case in question and the overall goal
for the treatment.
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