Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Shows 98 Percent Prostate Cancer Cure

According to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, a five-year study shows that stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) offers a higher cure rate for prostate cancer than more traditional approaches. 

The study, the first trial to publish five-year results from SBRT treatment for prostate cancer, found a 98.6 percent cure rate with SBRT, a noninvasive form of radiation treatment that involves high-dose radiation beams entering the body through various angles and intersecting at the desired target.  It is a state-of-the-art technology that allows for a concentrated dose to reach the tumor while limiting the radiation dose to surrounding healthy tissue. 

Raquibul Hannan, M.D., Ph.D., lead author for the study said, “The high cure rate is striking when compared to the reported five-year cure rates from other approaches like surgery or conventional radiation, which range between 80 to 90 percent, while the side effects of this treatment are comparable to other types of treatment.  What we now have is a more potent and effective form of completely noninvasive treatment for prostate cancer, conveniently completed in five treatments.” 

The study’s senior author Robert Timmerman, M.D., added, “The current form of radiation is 44 treatments given over nine weeks.  In contrast, the SBRT therapy we used allows the delivery of highly focused radiation in only five treatments, allowing patients to return to their normal lives more quickly.  SBRT is both more convenient and has increased potency.” 

At Oklahoma CyberKnife, men diagnosed with prostate cancer are treated with SBRT with the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System.  CyberKnife is a painless, nonsurgical prostate cancer treatment technology 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 40 – 45 visits conventional radiation therapy requires. 

To learn more about how Oklahoma CyberKnife treats prostate cancer, including a video on prostate cancer treatment, please click here.