With a variety of options available, knowledge is important when facing the treatment of prostate cancer, one of the most prevalent cancers among men.

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the United States and nearly 30,000 men will die from the disease this year.

The good news is that the disease can be detected early through routine yearly exams and successfully treated. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and the digital rectal examination (DRE) should be offered annually, beginning at age 50, to men who have a life expectancy of at least 10 years.

Men at high risk (African-American men and men with a strong family history of one or more first-degree relatives diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age) should begin testing at age 45. For men at average risk and high risk, information should be provided about what is known and what is uncertain about the benefits and limitations of early detection and treatment of prostate cancer so that they can make an informed decision about testing.

Men diagnosed with the disease are faced with the complicated task of educating themselves on the latest available primary treatment options which can include surgery, hormone therapy, internal radiation implants (brachytherapy) and external beam irradiation. The size and specific location of the cancer as well as lifestyle choices of the patient may determine which treatment option is best for an individual.

Alone or in combination with other treatment modalities, external beam radiation therapy is used in more than half of the men diagnosed with cancer to initially treat and control prostate cancer. The most state-of-the-art external beam radiation therapy techniques utilizing Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) are now available at Oncology of San Antonio.

IMRT is the most widely used radiation therapy for prostate cancer. It provides highly sophisticated radiotherapy using computer-controlled, X-ray linear accelerators to deliver radiation doses with high precision. Treatment is carefully planned using 3-D CT images of the patient in conjunction with computerized dose calculations to determine the dose intensity pattern that will best conform to the tumor shape. IMRT is also used in combination with IGRT which localizes the treatment tumor site daily before each treatment for pinpoint accuracy and effectiveness.

“Typically, a combination of several intensity-modulated fields coming from different beam directions produce a custom tailored radiation dose that maximizes tumor dose while also protecting adjacent normal tissues,” said Dr. Rajiv Dahiya, radiation oncologist, of Oncology of San Antonio (OSA) with offices at Baptist Cancer Center, Live Oak Cancer Center and Methodist Cancer Center.

Because of the precision involved with IMRT and IGRT, Dahiya can use higher doses of radiation to more effectively treat the cancer. These external radiation therapy treatments are performed on an outpatient basis and provides excellent survival rates equivalent to radical surgery for prostate cancer patients. It is a non-invasive and relatively painless treatment that helps maintain a patient’s high quality of life during the treatment process.

“It is an excellent way of delivering high doses of radiation therapy while limiting the radiation dose to surrounding areas,” Dahiya said. “The treatment combination of IMRT and IGRT is quickly becoming the standard of care for treating prostate cancer.”

Oncology San Antonio offers advanced medical and radiation oncology services to patients throughout San Antonio. OSA’s team of expert physicians include radiation oncologists Dr. Jory D. Lange, Dr. Gary W. West, Dr. Frank T. Dancuart, Dr. Raj S. Dahiya, Dr. Marta Caceres Dahiya and medical oncologists Dr. Syed N. Raza, Dr. Zulfi M. Jaffar and Dr. Jayasree Rao, who provide radiation therapy, targeted drug therapies and diagnostic services at the centers.

The Baptist and Live Oak Cancer Centers are equipped with three linear accelerators delivering Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT). IMRT and IGRT are two significant innovations in radiation therapy technology being used to fight cancer.

In addition to IMRT and IGRT, the centers are equipped with Three-Dimensional (3-D) Conformal Therapy, Electron Beam Therapy, High-Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy, Low-Dose Rate Brachytherapy, Surface Radiation Application, and Partial Breast Irradiation (PBI). OSA’s physicians also offer expertise in their use of Gamma Knife and Cyberknife Radiosurgery.