@cskippy
Proton radiation began around 2006. It was really expensive to built so very few centers back then. Since then much more common but still not used as much as photon radiation as still very expensive to built and use so many insurances balk at it and a lot of medical institutions' don't want the expense.

All Mayo Clinics have them now. I was treated at UFHPTI back in 2023 as Mayo Jacksonville had not built their new cancer center then. Mayo cancer center is now built and has proton radiation along with photon.

When I was at UFHPIT I saw a lot of children there. Proton is used on children as can lesson the damage to secondary tissues, organs, etc. Being children their life span is so much longer that an adult so the chance of secondary cancers from radiation is lessoned.

Also saw a lot of eye, brain, throat cancers being treated there. And with proton radiation being stopped at treatment spot you can see why. They can really control the radiation beam with proton and have it stop at the point they want and not continue through body. I had pencil beam proton radiation and that is even a more tightly controlled radiation beam.

Why? I have a ICD/pacemaker and UFHPTI has a physics department that sets up the parameters for radiation treatments. Their physic department recommended the pencil beam because of my ICD/Pacemaker and wanted the beam controlled even more to keep away from any interference with my ICD Pacemaker.

When you have prostate cancer they will tell you never to say cured. They do give survival rates based on your type, what stage, etc. Stage 1 has over a 99% survival rate for 5 years. Then it steadily goes down with other stages where has metastasized outside of prostate.

What my radiation/oncologist (R/O) uses in my case (low risk cancer and did not have surgical removal of prostate) uses a PSA (% of a protein made by prostate) of my being below 1. as a sign cancer has not returned. A traditional PSA test for undetectable is < .l But if you have a prostate you are going to have PSA as is normal.

Those with surgical removal of prostate many labs now use what they call a ultra sensitive test. That test has a much lower number for undetectable as should not have PSA above that much lower number if prostate removed.

With us men we are told if we live long enough we will have prostate cancer. Sadly most of us are told we will die from something else than our prostate cancer. That is okay for me as long as it is death from old age of being a centurion.

For me I hope to be around to see prevention of prostate cancer the topic and not treatments.