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Final decision on treatment: Viewray or Truebeam?
Final decision on treatment: Viewray at UCLA or Truebeam at Kaiser
Well, after getting the word this last January 24 that I had G7(4+3), 3 lesions rt side, 1 lesion left side, and a Decipher low risk of 0.26, and rabbit holes of research and education, I’m close to deciding. I have to thank you on this and other forums for giving me your experience and insights. It’s really amazing to be able to talk to guys about their most personal details and struggles you’ve dealt with and I’m very grateful.
So. I’d like to hear from any and all that have any insights on their experiences with the above treatment options: Viewray vs. Truebeam. Bring it on.
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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.
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2 ReactionsI 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