A Painless Ray of Hope for Prostate Cancer Patients

“A combination of accurate diagnostics, early detection and excellent treatment options like radiotherapy has changed the way prostate cancer is treated now, patients can potentially lead a long and good quality of life after being cured or controlled,” Vineet Nakra, Radiation Oncologist at Max Super Specialty Hospital, Vaishali, told IANS.

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Radiation therapy is a painless and non-invasive treatment which can be used to treat and cure prostate cancer and several clinical studies support its equivalence to surgery in terms of outcomes. It is very well tolerated with a low probability of side effects. Longer survival with least side effects and good quality of life is always the aim.

Radiotherapy vs Chemotherapy vs Surgery for Prostate Cancer

Like surgery, radiotherapy is a local therapy but it is very different from chemotherapy or targeted therapy in which medicines are administered through IV or orally. The treatment is delivered in a few minutes only while the patient does not experience any sensations such as pain or burning.

“Radiation therapy uses extremely focused beams of radiation to precisely kill prostate cancer cells or keep them from growing and dividing while minimizing damage to healthy cells. Since radiation therapy is non-invasive (unlike surgery), there is no down time or healing time,” Nakra explained.

IMRT and IGRT Ideal for Prostate Cancer?

“Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) are recently advanced therapies that deliver radiation with higher degrees of precision; hence, the patient faces minimal side effects.

“Image guided radiotherapy allows three-dimensional visualization of the treatment area prior to each treatment and this verifies utmost accuracy. This is vital for protecting sensitive structures like the rectum,” he added.

Painful bone lesions which can be troublesome in metastatic prostate cancer can also be effectively palliated with radiotherapy.

“It is important to remember that prostate cancer is treatable and managed successfully. Many men can lead normal, healthy lives after diagnosis and treatment,” Rahul Bhargava, Principal Director of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, told IANS.

“More individuals are living longer with this disease with increased awareness and early detection. The patients need to speak up and get the required help to maximize their quality of life,” he added.

Reference :

1. Basic Information About Prostate Cancer – (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/prostate/basic_info/index.htm)

Source: IANS