Cancer 2016 News & Update: Study Says Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Has 98 Percent Cure Rate For Prostate Cancer

Using stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in treating prostate cancer patients has a higher cure rate than traditional radiation methods, a five-year study says. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center found that SBRT for prostate cancer has almost 100 percent cure rate.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy is a noninvasive method of radiation treatment for prostate cancer patients. According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, SBRT uses a state-of-the-art technology to deliver a concentrated radiation dose to a tumor while limiting the damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

SBRT's Potential To Revolutionize Prostate Cancer Treatments

Science Daily reports that a five-year study, published in the European Journal of Cancer, discovered that prostate cancer patients have a 98.6 percent cure rate with stereotactic body radiation therapy. The researchers draw their conclusions by studying and tracking 91 first-time cancer patients diagnosed with stage I and stage II prostate cancer.

The researchers found that with stereotactic body radiation therapy, the survival rate of prostate cancer patients was 94 percent in three years and 89.7 percent in five years. They also discovered that patients who opted for SBRT had no metastatic growth of tumor during the three- and five-year checks. Compared to the traditional radiation or surgery, the researchers also noticed that the number of patients who suffered erectile dysfunction was decreased.

Fewer Therapy Sessions With SBRT

Aside from the higher cure rate, the researchers noted that stereotactic body radiation therapy required fewer therapy sessions compared to traditional radiation methods. Dr. Robert Timmerman, senior author of the study, stated that the current form of radiation therapy involves 44 treatments in over nine weeks.

He added that there are only five highly focused therapy sessions involved with SBRT. Timmerman pointed out that stereotactic body radiation therapy would allow prostate cancer patients to get back to their normal lives more quickly. "SBRT is both more convenient and has increased potency," he concluded.

Terry Martin, a prostate cancer patient from Texas, shared that the fewer number of treatments involved with stereotactic body radiation therapy is a big advantage. He disclosed that SBRT's five therapy sessions enabled him to speedily return to his normal life after finishing the treatment.