Prostate Cancer Treated More Aggressively in the City

According to a recent study published in the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, urban men with localized prostate cancer may be more likely to get surgery or radiation than their rural peers. 

Men had 23 percent higher odds of getting these aggressive treatments when they lived in densely populated U.S. counties than if they resided in rural counties, according to the analysis of cancer registry data for about 138,000 men.  The conservative alternatives, watchful waiting or hormone therapy to shrink tumors without surgery or radiation, were more common in less populated areas, with 22 percent of rural men receiving this type of care compared with 19 percent of their urban counterparts. 

Cancer care requires sophisticated resources, including medical, surgical, and radiation therapy specialists.  These specialists are less likely to be found in rural areas, especially small and isolated small rural areas, as their work can require specialized consultative care, found primarily in urban areas and rural areas with sizeable populations. 

Dr. Clint Cary, a urology researcher at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and lead author of the study said, “Men in urban areas have access to more physicians in addition to more advanced technology on both the surgical and radiation therapy front.  Smaller hospitals in rural areas will likely not be able to fund the expense of robotic surgical equipment, intensely modulated radiation therapy or proton beam radiation centers.” 

At Oklahoma CyberKnife, men diagnosed with prostate cancer are treated with the latest state-of-the-art cancer technology, the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System.  CyberKnife is a painless, nonsurgical prostate cancer treatment in which high-dose radiation is delivered to the tumor from a linear accelerator mounted on a highly maneuverable robotic arm.  Hundreds of different angles enable the radiation to be contoured to the shape of the prostate, resulting in treatment aimed directly to the prostate gland, avoiding nearby critical anatomy.  This precision reduces treatment time to just five outpatient visits, compared to the average 45 visits conventional radiation therapy requires. 

 Oklahoma CyberKnife proudly serves the greater Tulsa area and surrounding communities.  Many of our patients drive 100 or more miles for our services.  We understand that your time is important and we are here to try to help you keep to your normal day-to-day routine during your treatment.  Since CyberKnife treats prostate cancer in just five visits, you will be done with your cancer treatment in less than two weeks.  

For more information on Oklahoma CyberKnife, including where we are located and how to make an appointment, please click here.