Prostate Cancer

[dlandrum]

I am starting the Cyberknife treatment at St. Anthony's on 10-30 and wondered if anyone on this site has had it yet. So far everything I hear is positive with almost nothing negative. Some physicians are concerned due to the newness of the procedure, but my research (albeit limited and non-physician) via the internet seems to be favorable since it has been used successfully on other cancers (especially brain and spinal), for several years now on PC, and is very precise in the delivery thereby reducing or eliminating the majority of post treatment side effects. If it turns out to be successful and everything else works out as advertised then this will be a major new development. I have done all the prep work up to now and am ready for the treatment so if anyone would like that information do not hesitate to contact me.

[dlandrum]

The following is a comparison of the Cyberknife to other treatments for your consideration. http://www.sdcyberknife.com/dr-cancers/prostate2/comparison.htm

[ajax100]

Have the Drs. told you that the cyberknife is precise enough that the only the tumor has to be removed or does the total prostate have to be removed, as is the case with standard radiation.

thanks ajax100

[dlandrum]

I was advised they radiate the entire prostate since the biopsy does not necessarily give the entire picture. The best part appears to be the fact that it is so precise, that the urethea, bladder and rectum are minimally affected thereby reducing the side effects. If you are considering this go to the Cyberknife Patient support website and the Drs. will answer all questions. They are amazing in that they take the time every day to answer all the threads, it is impressive. http://www.cyberknifesupport.org/forum/default.aspx?f=10

[dlandrum]

I started the treatment today after a delay of one week for additional mapping plans. The treatment will take one week (five days). I did the bowel prep as before with nothing by mouth after midnight and the enema in the morning. The procedure took 1 hour and 45 minutes and was painless with no side effects yet. You are on a table with the machine moving around you to administer the treatments and you do not feel anything. The only problem was trying to lay still for the full time. They had prepared a lower body cast to lay my legs in to prevent movement but it was still hard to do. I got a few itches and was starting to get some cramps before it ended but made it OK. If this works out by eliminating the cancer and with minimal side effects, it will be a home run for patients with prostate cancer.

[dlandrum]

Day two of the Cyberknife treatment and all went very well. It seemed to go faster today and I found out it was more comfortable for me to raise my arms over my head. Even a little more movement today did not alter anything, so I guess the CK can follow small movements. So far I am very pleased with the treatment, I may have to wait a few years to see if it worked but am willing to do so. At least I can be part of the research to find a better cure with less side effects for men. To date I have zero side effects and nothing that "may occur". However, I am told the side effects usually start about several days after the treatment ends and last several weeks.

[dlandrum]

DAY THREE OF CYBERKNIFE TREATMENT:

Again the treatment went very well. I was apparently a little more mobile today as it took about 15 minutes longer due to my movements. I was comfortable today and almost dozed off. I am glad the machine does not just "shoot and go" when you have a movement. The technician explained the movement could be from the bowels also and I noticed this morning that I felt like I still needed a bowel movement long after the enema. Starting to feel a little tired by afternoon, but not bad, may just be that I stay up late so I can relax easier during treatment. The only other thing I have noticed is a small pain in one kidney that comes and goes. It may not be related to the CK treatments since I don't think they shoot through it? I have noticed a slight drop off in urination stream during the day after treatment, but by night seems almost normal. Only two more left.

[cowboy]

Do you have an update re cyberknife treatment? How did it turn out so far. I am strongly considering it.

[dlandrum]

I finished on Nov 9 and had some reations but not very bad. After about 3 weeks I was back to normal. You cannot have surgery after you have this treatment but I am glad I had it. I was out of commission for about 2 weeks and after about 3, everything back to normal. Overall, I am glad I did it and considering I did not want surgery and could not do 8 weeks of radiation, and did not want the bad effects of the seeds, this worked out well for me. Go to the website and talk to the DOCs, they will answer you and they are great. Good luck on what ever you chose.

Dave

[kdunbar]

Cyberknife ??? A new on on me. Any relation to Robotic?

KD