September was Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY (HOACNY) continues work to increase knowledge about prostate cancer, and treatment options that minimize the expense of travel, time away from work and family, as well as potential exposure to contagions.

“Although prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, the good news is that 95% of all cases are detected when the disease is confined to the prostate and treatment is most successful,” said Shing Chin, MD, HOACNY radiation oncologist.  “We are also continually improving our arsenal of prostate cancer treatment options, beyond surgery and traditional radiation therapy, to include non-invasive therapies like CyberKnife.”

The CyberKnife system is the only FDA-approved, non-invasive, completely robotic, targeted radiation therapy system available in the world. Outside of Manhattan and Long Island, the only CyberKnife system available in New York is at HOACNY in East Syracuse.

This advanced technology is what enticed CNY realtor and East Syracuse resident Dale Russo to pursue that treatment for his prostate cancer.

“I’m a retired IT professional,” explained Russo. “I know that robots don’t make mistakes. So, I was extremely interested in what CyberKnife could do for me. After deciding against surgery, I looked at traditional radiation for my prostate cancer. I didn’t care for the number of visits – 35 to 40.  Then I learned the CyberKnife System offered just five visits, each of them 30 minutes long, but I thought I had to travel to New York City or Long Island, and I didn’t like that idea either. When I learned it was available at HOA in their Brittonfield office I was elated! The savior in my own backyard.”

Russo is featured in a series of short, educational videos on HOACNY.com/prostate.”

What is CyberKnife?

CyberKnife is a form of targeted radiation therapy known as SBRT, or stereotactic body radiation therapy. Unlike traditional radiation therapy, SBRT delivers radiation only to the cancerous tissue, sparing the healthy tissue around it, and in much less time.

“The dose it delivers in five treatments is biologically more effective than conventional radiation that takes two months to deliver,” explains Chin.

CyberKnife also uses computer-controlled robotics to manage the precise treatment of cancerous tissue, because the prostate gland can move unpredictably throughout the course of treatment. This tracking system uses tiny pellets made from gold, called fiducial markers, which are inserted into the prostate gland by a urologist several days before treatment begins.

Prostate cancer treatment with requires fewer treatments, with fewer side effects and higher success rates. Multiple long-term studies show a greater than 90% cancer control with CyberKnife treatment in low and intermediate risk patients.

“With its shorter course of treatment, SBRT has long been preferred for prostate cancer patients, particularly given that this form of cancer has appeared to be more sensitive to higher doses per treatments,” explains HOACNY’s Radiation Oncology Medical Director, Tracy E. Alpert, MD. “We recommend patients consider CyberKnife treatment if they are not good candidates for surgery or simply want a less invasive option.”

In addition to sub-millimeter precision and the ability to complete prostate cancer treatment in just five treatment days versus 45 days for traditional radiation therapy, Chin explained other unique features of prostate cancer treatment with the CyberKnife system as follows:

– Treatments are totally non-invasive, outpatient procedures not requiring general anesthesia, hospitalization or long recovery time.

– Acute urinary and rectal side effects are brief, lasting days to weeks, not months.

– Studies show CyberKnife system provides excellent prostate cancer survival rates superior to conventional radiation therapy.

– A patient does not need to fill his bladder and hold it while on the treatment table and wears his own clothes during treatment.

CyberKnife is the only SBRT treatment eliminating patient concerns about holding their breath, changing position, coughing or other slight movements.