The five-year results of over 1,300 men treated at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute for prostate cancer were recently published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.1 As reported by UF researchers, the results revealed that the majority of these men are living cancer-free with minimal to no side effects. The five-year survival rates for low, intermediate, and high-risk prostate cancer are 99%, 94%, and 74% respectively – with less than 1% having experienced any bowel issues and less than 3% having experienced any urinary issues.
Because of the comparatively low occurrence of side effects such as incontinence, impotence, and fatigue, prostate cancer patients receiving proton therapy are able to continue working, playing, and living relatively normal lives both during and after treatment. That’s why more and more patients with prostate cancer are choosing proton therapy.
How Proton Therapy Effectively Treats Prostate Cancer
Proton therapy treats prostate cancer with high doses of radiation that are more accurate, and potentially more effective, than traditional radiation. Our targeted proton beams focus most of their destructive energy at the tumor site, therefore causing less damage to healthy surrounding tissue as they enter the body. Because of this, proton therapy patients don’t have to worry about many of the side effects and additional healthy tissue damage that is commonly associated with X-ray therapy.
Typically, proton therapy for prostate cancer is given over an eight-week period with 39 treatments. There is new evidence from the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute that a six-week, 28-treatment course of proton therapy is highly effective and achieves excellent prostate cancer patient outcomes. Researchers again noted minimal physician-assessed toxicity and excellent patient-reported outcomes. At seven years after treatment, the freedom from biochemical progression (FFBP) rate was 95.2% with continued low side effect rates.3
an effective cancer treatment alternative
In a recent study, men ages 60 and younger treated with proton therapy for prostate cancer at University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute reported high satisfaction for quality of life indicators such as sexual and urinary function.2
UF Health Cancer Experts
The UF Health Urologic Cancer Center in Gainesville, along with the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, are committed to serving patients with leading-edge cancer treatment, prevention, control and education. Our proton therapy center alone has treated more than 12,000 patients and led the way for innovative cancer care in the Southeast U.S. since 2006.
When you become a patient at UF Health, you are assured of receiving the highest quality cancer care as measured by state and national standards. Our prostate cancer treatment team includes urologic surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and pathologists, along with nurse navigators and support staff who work together to develop individualized and multidisciplinary treatment plans for each patient. We offer leading-edge treatment options from the safer transperineal biopsy to robotic-assisted prostatectomies and focal therapy that treats the cancer without harming the surrounding areas.
Contact the UF Health Cancer Center in Gainesville:
1 Bryant C, Smith TL, Henderson RH, Hoppe BS, Mendenhall WM, Nichols RC, Morris CG, Williams CR, Su Z, Li Z, Lee D, Mendenhall NP. Five-Year Biochemical Results, Toxicity, and Patient-Reported Quality of Life Following Delivery of Dose- Escalated Image-Guided Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer. International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, Physics. http://www.redjournal.org/article/S0360-3016(16)00158-9/pdf 2016;95(1):435-43.
2 Hoppe BS, Nichols RC, Henderson RH, Morris CG, Williams CR, Costa J, Marcus RB Jr, Mendenhall WM, Li Z, Mendenhall NP. Erectile function, incontinence, and other quality of life outcomes following proton therapy for prostate cancer in men 60 years old and younger. Cancer. 2012 Sep 15;118(18):4619-26.
3 Henderson RH, Bryant CM, Nichols RC, et al. Five- and seven-year outcomes for image-guided moderately accelerated hypofractionated proton therapy for prostate cancer. Acta Oncol. 2022;61(4):468-477. doi:10.1080/0284186X.2021.2016948
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