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External Beam Radiation or Proton Beam?

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 3/3/2017 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

Well, my PSA is on the rise again and along with it pain.

The F-18 Pet Scan revealed some new mets to my second right anterior Rib as well as my right 8th posterior rib. Those areas coincide with pain radiating from my front and back.

Made a decision to have them zapped with radiation to get relief from the pain.

My understanding is the proton beam can be programmed to stop before exiting into other organs and therefore seems somewhat safer then the EBRT. Can EBRT also be programmed in the same way or is there more scatter from the beam?

My question is which is the better of the two therapies for pain relief with the least amount of collateral damage?

Thank you,

Rick

Post Edited (RicktheRock) : 3/4/2017 9:04:59 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/4/2017 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
They all scatter. The "Bragg's Peak" is a theoretical model. In real life, protons (being light charged particles) are diffracted from the edges of the nozzle, and interact with matter to cause secondary baryons. The nice thing about SBRT for bone mets is that it can be done in just 1-5 sessions. It is programmed with submillimeter accuracy, but there will always be some dose to places nearby. They will calculate exactly how much.
Posted 3/4/2017 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
As always, Thank you Allen.

Rick
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