CyberKnife approved to treat prostate cancer at the ETMC Cancer - KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

Released by East Texas Medical Center:

EAST TEXAS - 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 has 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 or visit www.etmc.org.