New radiation treatment for prostate cancer very effective and more convenient for patients
When Barry Johnston was diagnosed with prostate cancer in Summer 2022, he knew having cancer treatment would need to be his priority, but he hoped it would not disrupt his life too much.
“I’m retired, but I have a routine that keeps me busy,” he says. “I love cars and going to car shows, and when I’m not at a car show there’s woodworking, daily walks with my wife, yardwork and all the other things involved in keeping a house running. I hoped I wouldn’t have to put all that on hold while I had cancer treatments."
“I had a consultation with my radiation oncologist in August to discuss treatment options. He told me I’d need 20 radiation treatments, but he also mentioned a new procedure, Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR), that would mean I could start and finish treatment in five days instead of a month. That sounded pretty good to me.”
SABR is a highly concentrated and precise form of radiation therapy, which is now available at the QEII Cancer Centre for certain patients with prostate cancer.
“The SABR technique enables us to target the patient’s tumour with greater intensity and accuracy than ever before while sparing healthy tissue,” said Dr. Hannah Dahn, a radiation oncologist at the QEII Cancer Centre and the lead in introducing SABR for prostate cancer. “The benefits for patients are fewer treatments with limited side effects and excellent outcomes. Patients with prostate cancer who qualify can have their radiation safely provided in five days, as opposed to the usual 20 days with the traditional treatment.”
Treatment planning for radiation therapy uses CT and MRI scans to plan how to precisely deliver the radiation dose to the prostate while sparing nearby organs. Planning for SABR includes these two scans and an additional procedure to implant gold markers, the size of a grain of rice, into the patient’s prostate. These markers allow the radiation machines to better target the patient’s prostate in real time.
Mr. Johnston was the second patient to receive SABR for prostate cancer and his experience was good, but he does have a suggestion for other patients who decide on this treatment.
“During my first treatment, I was on the narrow treatment table with no sides for about 45 minutes and I quickly got tired,” said Mr. Johnston. “The next time I brought a stuffed toy with me to hold on to while I was being treated. It made all the difference, and this is something the care team can now recommend to others.”
Mr. Johnston said because the therapy is concentrated into fewer treatments, he experienced side effects almost immediately after his first treatment.
“Even with the side effects, I was mostly able to keep to my normal routine of daily walks, yard work, woodworking, driving my convertible and attending car shows – and that definitely helped,” he said. “If I had still been working, I could have gone back to work after a couple of weeks. That’s a huge benefit.”
“Cancer is a big upheaval in your life and this treatment may not be for everyone with prostate cancer. It’s pretty intense – but for those it does work for, it means less time away from work, and if you live a distance from Halifax, fewer expenses for travel, accommodation, and meals and a lot less disruption to your life.”
Mr. Johnston finished SABR treatments in mid-October 2022. “I’m still tired and have a few side effects, but I feel pretty good,” he said. “Cancer slowed my life down, but I never stopped living.”
Stereotactic radiotherapy is available at the QEII Cancer Centre for certain patients with cancer in the following organs: bone, brain, liver, lung, lymph nodes, bone, and now prostate.
