Final decision on treatment: Viewray or Truebeam?

Starting MRIdian next week at Dana Farber/Brigham & Womens in Boston.
5 treatments over 2 weeks.
Any experiences with this type tratment?

My Decipher test came back as low risk. However two different radiologist/oncologist both stated the curative radiation therapy was warranted. I am in my 4th week of a 6 week M-F treatment plan for pencil Proton Radiation.

I agreed with radiation treatment. My bone scan was negative and my pet scan was negative. I was told cancer confined to prostrate. For me curing cancer not letting it grow was much better mentally than worrying about it growing outside of prostrate. The wait and see option was never presented to me even though my Decipher was "low risk." They did say my Decipher contradicted the biopsies which the worse ones were 4+3=7.

This Mayo Clinic Connect is a great source of information. I am glad that Mayo Clinic set it up. What I see though is still the disagreements withing oncologist/radiologist about photon and proton. I hope more studies are done to help patients have the information to make decisions. And maybe someday there will be a scientific consensus among radiologist/oncologist of what is best for patient cure and not personal opinions and bias.

I keep reading about Meridian and others having proton but only 5 treatments. I have a ICD/Pacemaker so the physics department at my Proton provider recommended pencil beam.

Wish I knew more about Pencil Beam. My question and maybe some of you know is when you get Pencil Beam does one beam come down or is there a multitude of beams? If entire prostrate is being treated how do you get pencil beam to all? When you say pencil beam you think it is a single beam the size of a pencil. That would seem like there would have to be hundreds of pencil beams.

ViewRay has 1/2 the immediate side effects compared to Varian according to UCLA and they have both.
MRIdian for me, finished in March and went straight back to work 5 treatments in a row, no SpaceOar. No ED or incontinence, everything is excellent and 0 changes to QOL.
Small bother side effects for 2-4 weeks.

I found a few hospitals that are listed online as still using Mridian but I have not called them to confirm:
UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
UCLA Health
Hoag
New York-Presbyterian David Koch Center
Henry Ford Health
Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute

I'm also thinking about doing MR-Linac. It's now been more than a year since you've had your treatment at UCLA. May I ask, how would you describe the short and long-term side effects? Also, any recurrence? I live in Portland, Oregon, and Providence Hospital here in Portland offers MR-Linac for prostate cancer. I'd prefer to be treated here in Portland, but the hospital isn't a center of excellence. It's just a community hospital. Do you think I'd be better off going to UCLA for the MR-Linac treatment? I'd appreciate any insights you can share. Hope you're doing well!

@itsaquarter23, I'm tagging @mperloe to make sure he sees your post and questions about his experience.

@itsaquarter23, did you make your decision about where to get treatment in the meantime?

No, I haven't decided yet. I'd love to hear back from anyone who's been treated in Portland, Oregon, and can recommend specific radiation oncologists there.

Now that's it's been awhile since your MRIdian treatment, how have your long-term side effects been from it?

@ Beachcomber20 I have had no long term side effects so far.

@itsaquarter23 (beachcomber), I want to make sure you saw the reply from @bens1.
How are you doing in your treatment decisions?