Experience with IMRT?
I'd like to hear from anyone that has experience with Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy. I'm in Orange County, 80 and in good health. My PSA has been going up for years. Finally at 12, I agreed to the biopsy that I had been avoiding. It came back with 2 spots out of 13 as positive and a Gleason of 3+4. A bone scan didn't show any spread. According to the Urologist, I now have to decide on watching or radiation. In talking to a Dr Chan about radiation, I'm inclined to go with IMRT instead of SBRT mainly because the IMRT does not require a fiducial or spaceoar. I found the biopsy to be a horrible experience and really don't want to go thru it again. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone that's gone thru Radiation Therapy.
Hi
. I can't personally speak to the radiation therapy, but I wanted to chime in because I'm a little surprised you are being told that SpaceOar would not be necessary or a benefit with IMRT. This paper is a metanalysis of 19 studies and found that "The randomized controlled trial in IG-IMRT demonstrated that SpaceOAR reduces rectal radiation dose and late gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities, with urinary, bowel, and sexual quality-of-life improvement:" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34029607/. Note: this is not at all to dissuade on IMRT as treatment, just that doing what ever one can to protect surrounding tissue is prudent. Your doctor should be able to provide additional information. Best, Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team) Thanks for the info. It was the fiducial that I wanted to avoid since the biopsy was such an unpleasant experience for me. It look like the SpaceOar is just an injection somehow and not forcing a tool up the rectum with no anesthesia like the biopsy. My urologist didn't explain that to me but I see the radiologist next week and I'll ask about it and consider it.
I am undergoing IMGT and have surgery scheduled for the Space OAR and the fiducial markers on December 28th. Both measures will be put into place while under general anesthetic and done on an out patient basis. The makers are necessary so they can focus the radiation on the area of the prostate. I believe both measures require an ultrasound scope up the rectum. I would verify this since in my opinion putting the radiation where it needs to go and protecting the rectum is critical.
Please keep us posted on this procedure,
. We are wishing you the best and hope that it goes well for you. -Samuel, Team Member
Thanks, I agree and wouldn't have a problem if anesthetic was available of if they said it was absolutely necessary. It's strange that the last Dr said Space Oar and marker weren't required for IMGT only for SBRT. I'll find out when I discuss it with the next Dr on Wednesday.
That is interesting,
. Please let us know what your doctor says on Wednesday. I hope that appointment goes well. -Samuel, Team member
Well, I spoke to the second doctor and I'm starting IMRT after the first of the year. He, like the first doctor said the marker & spaceoar were not required. I should have asked him why but I was just so happy hear that, that I forgot. I'll ask the next time. I suspect it may depend on the dose they plan for you. Since I'm a 3+4, I believe that's on the low end so maybe the dose is low enough they feel the M&S aren't necessary.
