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Posted 9/22/2007 5:02 PM (GMT 0)

I just read an article today that should give all of us hope that the research of good doctors is continuing to provide innovative treatment options for this disease. 

A new combination radiation therapy for early, non-aggresive prostate cancer is being tested at the University of Texas Southwestern by Dr. Timmerman.  You can read the latest news on the treatment here:

Radiation Therapy Technique Reduces Length Of Prostate Cancer Treatment

A related, short article is here:

New prostate radiation shows promise

The big advantage of the experimental treatment is that the patient comes in for only five treatments over a very short period of one and one half weeks.   Also, there are no incisions or invasive treatment of any kind.  Very few side-effects are reported.  The UT medical facility is accepting new patients for this technique.

The combination of new, promising radiation treatments and the dramatic increase in doctors developing skill in less-invasive surgical techniques, to me, are very promising to patients for which these procedures are deemed appropriate.

Idaho :-)

Posted 9/22/2007 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Idaho

I think that informing members of possibe promising new approaches to treating PCa is good.  I have done this from time to time.  It is unfornuate that the articles you referenced did not go into more details about this treatment (e.g., total doseage of radiation and how it is administered).  Because I was treated with more conventional radiation (i.e., proton) over a period of 39 days, I am somewhat skeptical about this new approach which seems to be experimental at best right now, on a very limited basis.  I think this new treatment, if viable at all, would be more applicable to very early stage PCa patients.  Also, until history can show the extent of potential side effects from this treatment, I would not want to try it.  Also, when you consider that conventional radiation treatment (i.e., photon or ex-ray and proton) takes about 40 days of treatment versus 5 days of treatment with this new radiation approach, an extra 35 days of treatment is a relatively short period of time when we are talking about life threating prostate cancer.  There is no easy cure for prostate cancer yet, but we all have hope for the future for miracle cures.  Thanks for making us aware of what may well someday be a

a new proven way of treating prostate cancer.

Dave

Posted 9/26/2007 11:09 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the info., Idaho. I hope it proves successful. I would have preferred five treatments to 43!

Regards,

Bill
Posted 9/30/2007 8:15 PM (GMT 0)

I'm with Dave. It will take a few years to find out the pros and cons of this abbreviated radiation treatment. I felt comfortable with Protons as they had a 15 year " testing period". Maybe they have found some MAGIC way to do it.

Good to see more options coming out though. More is usually better.

Ken

Posted 10/1/2007 5:17 AM (GMT 0)
Friends,

Thanks for the articles and discussion.

This focused beam approach reminded me of an article
I read a while back where the scientists at U.T. Southwestern in Dallas 
are developing designer chemical molecules that readily attach themselves
to only cancer cells AND make only the cancer cells they attach themselves to
extremely susceptable to death by very very low levels of radiation....

That's a "housepaint" every type of cancer patient will welcome!

Sincerely,

CCedar
ICTHUS!
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