Prostate Cancer External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)
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External Beam Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer (EBRT)
Radiation therapy is the preferred treatment for prostate cancer patients at CTCA because it targets cancer cells, with less damage to healthy tissues than other treatments. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) delivers high-energy rays to tumors, using a special X-ray machine called a linear accelerator. This machine allows prostate cancer radiation therapy to be delivered from any angle and shapes radiation beams to conform to the contour of the tumor.
Your radiation oncologist will pinpoint the area(s) of treatment using a variety of diagnostic and imaging tools to locate cancerous cells in the body. Our state-of-the-art radiation technology enables our oncologists to more accurately target a tumor with higher doses of radiation, while minimizing damage to your healthy prostate tissue. Thus, EBRT helps to lower the risk of side effects typically associated with radiation treatment for prostate cancer, like incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
In addition, our EBRT technology allows us to monitor the tumor’s position before each treatment, and track if the tumor has shifted or changed shape since your last treatment. Each EBRT treatment takes only a few minutes, plus some additional time for set-up. This form of prostate cancer radiation therapy is generally given five days a week, over the course of six to eight weeks.
Advantages of EBRT
- It’s a fast, painless outpatient procedure. It does not carry the standard risks or complications of surgery, such as surgical bleeding, post-operative pain, or the risk of stroke, heart attack or blood clot.
- Unlike chemotherapy, which circulates through the body, external beam radiation therapy is targeted to the area being treated.
- The risk of incontinence and erectile dysfunction is minimized.
- Nausea rarely occurs with EBRT to the prostate.
- There is no risk of radioactivity to you or your friends and family.
We offer several innovative types of EBRT for the treatment of prostate cancer:
- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
- Calypso® 4D Localization System
- Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)
- TomoTherapy® HI-ART
Based on diagnostic tests and your cancer profile, we will work with you to determine which treatment or combination of treatments is best suited to you. EBRT may be used in conjunction with chemotherapy, hormone therapy and other options to fight prostate cancer.
Next Topic: Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) for Prostate Cancer
