PSA after 20 Proton treatments

Could I asked what is SBRT proton beam? I had pencil beam proton therapy at UFPTI as Jacksonville Mayo did not have proton. Mayo did MRI and biopsies. There was a scatter beam that could have been done but I have a pacemaker/ICD and physic department wanted to limit the radiation. I think the SBRT means scatter beam radiation treatment but thought I would asked. What is difference if you know.

I also did not do hormone even though first diagnosed with intermediate 3+4=7. But was changed to low risk from Decipher test and no hormone treatment recommended.

I was told at my first consultation that the hormone treatment basically stops the growth as the cancer cells feed off testosterone. I was told about the side affects and they are not good. I did a Decipher test and it came back a lower risk than my biopsies (intermediate) to low risk of metastasizing.

I did 30 proton treatments for prostrate and margins. I did not have an spread to bones (bone scan) nor surrounding organs tissues (PET scan).

From what I read the hormone treatments affect the testosterone and why it is such a shock to a man's system. You basically stop the production. What I was told was the radiation does not kill the cancer cells is damages it. Thus it cannot reproduce and eventually dies. This differs from the other prostrate cells and organs as they are damaged too but are capable of repairing themselves and growing back.

I follow up with a lot of research and found this information recurrent philosophy of radiation treatment. I am glad I did not have hormone treatment or the need to have it. A low risk diagnosis, and confined to prostrate does not have (at least in my case) a recommendation for hormone treatment.

I wish you good luck. From my information the hormone treatments help stop the growth of the cancer as you stop feeding it (needs testosterone to grow) and the radiation damages the cells not allowing it to repair and replace the cancer cells.

Do you have a good urologist and oncologist. These are questions for them. I would not stop at one consultation and get second and third opinions. Remember every case and person is different and that is important to understand and what happens with one person may not happen to you.

Hi.
SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy) is a directed beam of protons similar to your therapy, I expect. I had a PSApet scan that detected no metastasis. At Mayo, SBRT is done with a directed beam and the depth radiation is controlled by an overlaid 3D-MRI taken before the therapy begins and "followed" by the radiation beam. The biggest difference in my therapy is that it was done in five sessions over two weeks rather than forty sessions. Outcomes, at least in my research before the event, are virtually the same.

With your Gleason scores it seems the lesions were confined to the prostate and at least with my therapy the entire prostate gland, bed and in my case a couple of spots just outside the prostate with mild intrusion were targeted. Radiation was confined to the prostate. The two therapies sound very similar to me.

At Mayo, six months of ADT are also part of the standard of care. But, I elected to pass on it. I have a history of heart disease and am 74 years old. After months of research, and except for information from an unpublished, ongoing study at Mayo Phoenix, I could find no definitive studies that compared proton beam with and without ADT. After 10 years, Phoenix has found the difference in outcomes with proton beam + ADT and with proton beam alone to be insignificant. I hope that helps ...

Thanks for the information and yes it did help. Did you have yours at Phoenix Mayo? Can I asked what your after care and follow ups are?

Mayo Jacksonville does not have proton. They are building a cancer institute which will have proton therapy but it is years away. My primary care doctor said for me to consider proton treatments and consider UFPTI after I did research and consultations.

After consultations and research I went to UFPTI which has been doing proton radiation since 2006. According to their web site the have done over 10,000 treatments and patients from almost all states and 34 countries. They were one of the few proton institutes back in 2006. They have upgraded their equipment and quite a star wars experience. The Space/Oar and markers were the only discomfort I had for the entire experience.

Over the 7 weeks of treatment one of the things I saw was all the children coming there. It was sad to see. But I can see why as research showed proton treatments lessons the amount of radiation damage using pencil beam. The children have many decades to live and a lot of children are referred there to reduce the secondary cancers and more precise treatment of their cancer. UFPTI has a great children area, treatment rooms, etc. I still have images of walking past all those pre and post treatment rooms for the children.

I am 76 have heart failure with a ICD/pacemaker. So surgery was not an option and I would have not chose it anyway. Hormone treatment ruled out due to heart failure. But then the results of DECIPHER test came back contradicting the biopsy (intermediate) to low risk and then hormone treatments not be recommended with low risk.

UFPTI physics department recommended pencil beam treatments. They offer proton scatter but their physic department wanted pencil beam to stay as far away from ICD/Pacemaker as possible. The DECIPHER is expensive test (over 5K) but my insurance covered it. I don't see much mention of it on Mayo Clinic Connect.

I wish I lived around Phoenix or Rochester. You only had to go 5 times over two weeks. My therapy was 30 treatments that went over 7 weeks due to holidays. You really get to know your tech team. UFPTI has 5 gantry treatment rooms identified by color and number. You are assigned a permanent team, gantry.

I have nothing negative to say about UFPTI. Overall very good care and the techs were outstanding. However I am a long time Mayo patient (almost 20 years) so all my other care is at Mayo Clinic and would have been good if could have had my proton treatment at Mayo Clinic (is where my MRI, biopsy, and DECIPHER test done).

Thanks for the information and yes it did help. Did you have yours at Phoenix Mayo? Can I asked what your after care and follow ups are?

Mayo Jacksonville does not have proton. They are building a cancer institute which will have proton therapy but it is years away. My primary care doctor said for me to consider proton treatments and consider UFPTI after I did research and consultations.

After consultations and research I went to UFPTI which has been doing proton radiation since 2006. According to their web site the have done over 10,000 treatments and patients from almost all states and 34 countries. They were one of the few proton institutes back in 2006. They have upgraded their equipment and quite a star wars experience. The Space/Oar and markers were the only discomfort I had for the entire experience.

Over the 7 weeks of treatment one of the things I saw was all the children coming there. It was sad to see. But I can see why as research showed proton treatments lessons the amount of radiation damage using pencil beam. The children have many decades to live and a lot of children are referred there to reduce the secondary cancers and more precise treatment of their cancer. UFPTI has a great children area, treatment rooms, etc. I still have images of walking past all those pre and post treatment rooms for the children.

I am 76 have heart failure with a ICD/pacemaker. So surgery was not an option and I would have not chose it anyway. Hormone treatment ruled out due to heart failure. But then the results of DECIPHER test came back contradicting the biopsy (intermediate) to low risk and then hormone treatments not be recommended with low risk.

UFPTI physics department recommended pencil beam treatments. They offer proton scatter but their physic department wanted pencil beam to stay as far away from ICD/Pacemaker as possible. The DECIPHER is expensive test (over 5K) but my insurance covered it. I don't see much mention of it on Mayo Clinic Connect.

I wish I lived around Phoenix or Rochester. You only had to go 5 times over two weeks. My therapy was 30 treatments that went over 7 weeks due to holidays. You really get to know your tech team. UFPTI has 5 gantry treatment rooms identified by color and number. You are assigned a permanent team, gantry.

I have nothing negative to say about UFPTI. Overall very good care and the techs were outstanding. However I am a long time Mayo patient (almost 20 years) so all my other care is at Mayo Clinic and would have been good if could have had my proton treatment at Mayo Clinic (is where my MRI, biopsy, and DECIPHER test done).

Get on Xtandi no issues And Xgeva if in bones I get Zolodex 3 mos injections
At 78 I feel great Stage 4 under control thanks to Jesus and the meds he directs in my path

Fortunately right now I have stable PSA of.14. I had ADT therapy before treatment and it sucked the life out of me. For me there has to be some balance of quality of life and years lived.

Mt proton treatments were at the Stephenson Cancer Center at the Univ. of OK May of this year.
Then Space OAR placement failed last year. Then issues. Wait time and then proton treatment without the gel. 20 treatments. Decipher test not done . Did Medicare cover it? Urologists seemed I did not need it. Hormone treatment not an option at this time. I go back in October to test PSA. I will continue my repurposed drugs and go back to my antioxidants starting tomorrow.
Stay well my friend...God bless...

What ADT ?
I was on and still am on Zolodex with no issues In Jan 23 added Xtandi no issues PSA 1.7 Xgeva for bones as L1 radiated but returned in L2 in Jan

Had prostate radiated in 2017 40 days Zolodex for a year No issues

78 feel great