I have not had this problem, yet, but every day has the possibility for a new "medical challenge"!
However, since there is a prostate cancer risk for all men, I have been keeping up- to-date on this subject for a long time. Obviously one of the biggest decisions is deciding on a treatment plan. Once that decision has been made you are "committed"!
A very close friend of mine on the east coast does have prostate cancer and he selected the "Cyberknife Solution". He conducted a lot of research before he made his decision. His wife has Stage One Breast Cancer and she also chose the very same treatment method. Both treatments were several months ago and they are both pleased with the outcome.
He provided me with a document with many of the treatment options, plus the considerations that are associated with each one. However, while it is a Microsoft Word document, it is not in the format that the forum accepts, *.docx. If I save it as a *.doc the file size is too large. If you would like to have the document, send a PM to me with your e-mail address.
Cheers!
Bill
From my close friend who has opted for the cyberknife method:
In response to your question about my satisfaction with the recent CyberKnife procedure for my prostate cancer, I offer the following:
"I had a PSA that had climbed to 19 over 5 years, and after 2 biopsies it was determined we need to proceed to a treatment plan.
One option was the “atomic seeds” My urologist did not recommend this because of poor results. Another option was a complete Prostatectomy, and again many adverse side effects…ie months of incontinence and impotence and bowel damage and surrounding tissue. Another option, in situations of enlarged prostate but low level cancer is a TERP (Trans ureteral reconstruction procedure) A good friend is in the process of that procedure now and is having poor results and much bleeding and pain to the point that it is now necessary to repeat the procedure with skeptical outcome. The next procedure that another friend had done in North Carolina was called the “Purple Laser”. Also ineffective to the point that a different procedure is now required.
So, we come down to my situation. I must be very lucky to have the urologist and radiologist that I have because my situation is a walk in the park compared to my friends. We have gone the path of the “CyberKnife”. It is an extremely fine targeting radiation to the prostate. It requires the urologist to place 4 gold markers on the prostate via a needle, ALMOST painless. Then a CT scan and an MRI to identify the location of these markers for the CyberKnife computer.
The next, and final step, is for the CyberKnife procedure. You are escorted into a room with a large robotic machine. You don’t even have to take your clothes off…they lay a blanket over you and tell you to lower your pants to about knee level. From that that point on the radiologist and technician, based on the info entered into the computer based on your MRI and CT scan identifying the gold markers, the CyberKnife begins its thing of rotation to different positions and pausing for about 5 seconds and then on to the next co-ordinates, All in all there are about 30 or more pauses, and believe it or not, you are finished in about 10-12 minutes and you get to go home. (Your EOB will reflect about $1000.00 per minute. Mine was a 5 day procedure with about 15 minutes total each time….the bill??? $12,000.00 per treatment. Total $60K. Thank God for insurance.
Side effects: ALMOST none. Certainly no pain before, during or after. No disruption of bowel or urination or bleeding at any time. I do take once daily a generic version of Flomax. I didn’t think I needed such, but by the 3rd day it was slightly uncomfortable to pee. After that, all is back to normal.
Just as a “side bar” to this topic is: My wife has breast cancer in both breasts. Her doctors and radiologists also use the exact same CyberKnife machine to treat her cancers. We both can’t say enough about how this apparatus gets the job done with follow-up results being excellent. This procedure is also used for very precise brain tumors with amazing results.
So, as they say, the CyberKnife is a win-win choice, at least in our family’s situation."
