Prostate Radiation Treatment

[KannikaP]

17 minutes ago, TigerandDog said:

Brachytherapy and Chemo are BOTH forms of radiation therapy BUT they are very different treatments.

 

Brachytherapy is a one off treatment whereby radioactive pellets, each around the size of a grain of rice, are implanted into the prostate ( see the link I included in my original comment ) whereas chemo requires multiple visits to the hospital for treatment.

 

When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012 my PSA level was too high (although still within range) for brachytherapy so I had a radical prostatectomy. Unfortunately by the time my scheduled surgery arrived in mid 2013, the cancer had spread and I was given a 5 year use by date. I was referred to a specialist with regards to having chemo but the specialist was of the opinion that, in my case, chemo would not be of any benefit to me so he recommended that I have the brachytherapy with the explanation that this would not remove the cancer but it would slow the spread down and give me around 10-15 years for my use by date. Only the one visit to hospital for the treatment, under general anesthetic. When I had my 2 regular PSA tests in early & mid 2015 the readings had reduced to zero, much to the surprise of the specialist, and I've been cancer free ever since.

 

I'm not saying that brachytherapy is a superior treatment to chemo, but it is worth considering if PSA levels are low enough.

Silly me thinking that Chemotherapy is a drug treatment which uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in the body, one round lasting 2 to 6 weeks.

[Sheryl]

On 2/8/2024 at 8:40 AM, TigerandDog said:

Brachytherapy and Chemo are BOTH forms of radiation therapy BUT they are very different treatments.

 

Brachytherapy is a one off treatment whereby radioactive pellets, each around the size of a grain of rice, are implanted into the prostate ( see the link I included in my original comment ) whereas chemo requires multiple visits to the hospital for treatment.

 

When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012 my PSA level was too high (although still within range) for brachytherapy so I had a radical prostatectomy. Unfortunately by the time my scheduled surgery arrived in mid 2013, the cancer had spread and I was given a 5 year use by date. I was referred to a specialist with regards to having chemo but the specialist was of the opinion that, in my case, chemo would not be of any benefit to me so he recommended that I have the brachytherapy with the explanation that this would not remove the cancer but it would slow the spread down and give me around 10-15 years for my use by date. Only the one visit to hospital for the treatment, under general anesthetic. When I had my 2 regular PSA tests in early & mid 2015 the readings had reduced to zero, much to the surprise of the specialist, and I've been cancer free ever since.

 

I'm not saying that brachytherapy is a superior treatment to chemo, but it is worth considering if PSA levels are low enough.

Chemo is not a form of radiation.

 

You are thinking if the difference between brachytherapy and wide beam radiation.

 

Chemotherapy is not used for primary prostate cancer but is sometimes used for metastastic disease.

[BKKKevin]

On 2/2/2024 at 2:35 AM, Sheryl said:

Brachytherapy is an option if the prostate is not too large but not for very large prostates. A big advantage to it is that it does nto need many repeat visits unlike wide beam RT.

Sheryl,

Could you recommend a hospital and doctor that specializes in Brachytherapy?

I’m up in the north in Chiang Mai but could easily come down to Bangkok…

 

Not to get too far off the subject but could you speak to what the current focal therapies that are available in Thailand, the only one I’ve seen is a doctor doing HIFU at Siriraj…. any options for cryo or tulsa?

[Jumbo1968]

16 minutes ago, BKKKevin said:

Sheryl,

Could you recommend a hospital and doctor that specializes in Brachytherapy?

I’m up in the north in Chiang Mai but could easily come down to Bangkok…

 

Not to get too far off the subject but could you speak to what the current focal therapies that are available in Thailand, the only one I’ve seen is a doctor doing HIFU at Siriraj…. any options for cryo or tulsa?

What reason are looking for this treatment , I asked if I could have it in the U.K.as it said the side effects could be less, was told I wasn’t suitable for it.

 

The type of treatment you will receive depends on the size of your prostate, the stage of your cancer, your Gleason score and PSA level. Not everyone is suitable to have brachytherapy. Brachytherapy can be given in isolation or with external beam radiotherapy. Your doctor will let you know if you can have brachytherapy and if so which type would be more suitable for your type of cancer. 

[Sheryl]

18 hours ago, BKKKevin said:

Sheryl,

Could you recommend a hospital and doctor that specializes in Brachytherapy?

I’m up in the north in Chiang Mai but could easily come down to Bangkok…

 

Not to get too far off the subject but could you speak to what the current focal therapies that are available in Thailand, the only one I’ve seen is a doctor doing HIFU at Siriraj…. any options for cryo or tulsa?

Tulsa and cryo are not available in Thailand.  Not sure why you'd want cryo in any event as it does not from what I have read  compare favorably to other approaches and is generally reserved for cases where other treatments are for some reason contraindicated.  Tulsa has so far had very good results but as it is  new,  long term data on outcomes is still lacking. The only place in Asia doing it so far is Japan and that just started a year or so agao.

 

HIFU is so far only available at Samitivej Hospital as far as I know (not Siriraj). An expensive private hospital.  What I have read about it does not sound too great in terms of oncological outcomes. It has not been USA FDA approved as a first line therapy and in the UK is still in clinical trials stage. Note that with any really new therapy there will be a lack of long term outcome data.

 

Brachytherapy can be done at most large hospitals. The go-to doctor for this in Chiang Mai is Prof. Ekkasit Tharavichitkul. He can be seen at Sripat or at Bangkok Hospital. Bring all your records with you and ask him whether you are a good candidate for (1) radiation treatment in general and (2) brachytherapy in particular. as opposed to surgery

 

https://sriphat.med.cmu.ac.th/find_doctor?lang=en&doctor_name=Assoc.Prof.Ekkasit+Tharavichaikul%2CM.D.

 

https://www.bangkokhospital-chiangmai.com/en/doctor/dr-ekkasit-tharavichitkul-m-d/

 

[TigerandDog]

On 2/10/2024 at 7:08 PM, Sheryl said:

Chemo is not a form of radiation.

 

You are thinking if the difference between brachytherapy and wide beam radiation.

 

Chemotherapy is not used for primary prostate cancer but is sometimes used for metastastic disease.

I won't disagree with you, however the GP, urologist and radiation specialist that treated me in Sydney ALL referred to chemo as radiation treatment AND it was explained to me as being an alternative prostate cancer treatment if I did not want to have the radical prostatectomy. At that point brachytherapy was not an option as my PSA level was too high. However they also stressed that if I had the chemo and the cancer later returned I would NOT be able to have any other form of radiation treatment because with prostate cancer the body and immune system can only tolerate one form of radiation treatment, hence my choice of surgery, which in the end turned out to be the correct choice as my cancer did spread in the time between diagnosis and treatment, which meant that brachytherapy, not chemo, became the treatment of choice.

[Jumbo1968]

4 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

I won't disagree with you, however the GP, urologist and radiation specialist that treated me in Sydney ALL referred to chemo as radiation treatment AND it was explained to me as being an alternative prostate cancer treatment if I did not want to have the radical prostatectomy. At that point brachytherapy was not an option as my PSA level was too high. However they also stressed that if I had the chemo and the cancer later returned I would NOT be able to have any other form of radiation treatment because with prostate cancer the body and immune system can only tolerate one form of radiation treatment, hence my choice of surgery, which in the end turned out to be the correct choice as my cancer did spread in the time between diagnosis and treatment, which meant that brachytherapy, not chemo, became the treatment of choice.

No, chemotherapy is not the same as radiation therapy. Chemotherapy targets cancer cells throughout the body usually by using cytotoxic medications given intravenously. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams (like x-rays or proton therapy) to target and kill cancer cells at a specific tumor site

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

No, chemotherapy is not the same as radiation therapy. Chemotherapy targets cancer cells throughout the body usually by using cytotoxic medications given intravenously. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams (like x-rays or proton therapy) to target and kill cancer cells at a specific tumor site

 

I think he simply misunderstood the terminology used. He was told that chemo and radiation were alternatives to surgery  and mistakenly thought that meant they were one and the same thing.

 

Aside from chemotherapy, other medications (e.g. hormone blockers) are also a possible treatment for prostate cancer and do not involve cytoxic agents.

 

Actually cytotoxic chemotherapy would not be used in localized prostate cancer. but hormone blockers could be...either on their own or in combination with other measures.

[TigerandDog]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

No, chemotherapy is not the same as radiation therapy. Chemotherapy targets cancer cells throughout the body usually by using cytotoxic medications given intravenously. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams (like x-rays or proton therapy) to target and kill cancer cells at a specific tumor site

did you actually read what I said my drs (a GP, urologist and radiation specialist) told me, or like so many on here selectively nit pick so you can post a criticism and make yourself look like you know better than the drs who treated me.

[Jumbo1968]

1 minute ago, TigerandDog said:

did you actually read what I said my drs (a GP, urologist and radiation specialist) told me, or like so many on here selectively nit pick so you can post a criticism and make yourself look like you know better than the drs who treated me.

Not meant as a criticism or nit picking just confirming the difference which other posters might find informative. 

[TigerandDog]

2 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Not meant as a criticism or nit picking just confirming the difference which other posters might find informative. 

if that's teh case you shouldn't have posted your comment attached to mine, as it reads like a criticism.

[Jumbo1968]

19 minutes ago, TigerandDog said:

if that's teh case you shouldn't have posted your comment attached to mine, as it reads like a criticism.

You gat out of bed the wrong side today, how trivial can you get ?

[DaLa]

On 2/1/2024 at 9:55 AM, Negita43 said:

Can anyone give me a ballpark figure for the cost of this treatment?

 

Thanks

I was diagnosed 5 months ago and have just finished all the pre-treatment tests and 28 doses of Radiotherapy at Siriraj in Bangkok. They have the most modern Linac in the whole of Asia. Too much detail to write here but I'm up to around £10k for everything. PM me if you want a complete breakdown and my experience. 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

This might be helpful. I was treated for prostate cancer (Gleason of 7) back in 2014 (age 60) by Dr. Sakpisid Nawasiri at Bangkok Hospital. They used Image Modulated Radio Therapy (IMRT). The machine was a Swedish Electa, which circled my body through 7 different positions. There were a total of 35 fractions (treatments): 25 aimed at surrounding tissue such as lymph nodes and 10 at the prostate. In other words, 7 weeks. 

 

For the next 2 years, I had quarterly physical checks and blood tests. My lowest PSA was 0.6, and averaged in the 1.xx for years. During that period I utterly changed my lifestyle so to give my immune system a better chance. I still do so to this very day, getting good sleep and some light exercise and keep my metabolic health up-to-date.

 

FYI: Last year, Dr. John Campbell, PhD, posted this study on his channel (3 million subscribers): "Circulating vitamin D level and mortality in prostate cancer patients: a dose–response meta-analysis." In summary, higher dosages of Vit D seem to have a very positive protective effect on those who already had prostate cancer. You can read his entire script below his YouTube video and/or watch the 16 min vid. 

 

Vitamin D and prostate cancer

 

 

[xylophone]

9 minutes ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

This might be helpful. I was treated for prostate cancer (Gleason of 7) back in 2014 (age 60) by Dr. Sakpisid Nawasiri at Bangkok Hospital. They used Image Modulated Radio Therapy (IMRT). The machine was a Swedish Electa, which circled my body through 7 different positions. There were a total of 35 fractions (treatments): 25 aimed at surrounding tissue such as lymph nodes and 10 at the prostate. In other words, 7 weeks. 

 

For the next 2 years, I had quarterly physical checks and blood tests. My lowest PSA was 0.6, and averaged in the 1.xx for years. During that period I utterly changed my lifestyle so to give my immune system a better chance. I still do so to this very day, getting good sleep and some light exercise and keep my metabolic health up-to-date.

 

FYI: Last year, Dr. John Campbell, PhD, posted this study on his channel (3 million subscribers): "Circulating vitamin D level and mortality in prostate cancer patients: a dose–response meta-analysis." In summary, higher dosages of Vit D seem to have a very positive protective effect on those who already had prostate cancer. You can read his entire script below his YouTube video and/or watch the 16 min vid. 

 

Vitamin D and prostate cancer

 

 

 

The same "doctor" as this one.............

 

John Lorimer Campbell is an English YouTuber and retired nurse educator known for his videos about the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the videos received praise, but they later veered into misinformation. 

 

All the same, I wish you well with your health situation.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

13 minutes ago, xylophone said:

 

The same "doctor" as this one.............

 

John Lorimer Campbell is an English YouTuber and retired nurse educator known for his videos about the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the videos received praise, but they later veered into misinformation. 

 

All the same, I wish you well with your health situation.

 

I will only reply to this once because it is way off topic. Campbell has presented hundreds of studies all these years, with all the sources and links. Read the medical study summarized and linked by Campbell, which is my only reason for posting this so that it might help folks. 

[xylophone]

22 minutes ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

 

I will only reply to this once because it is way off topic. Campbell has presented hundreds of studies all these years, with all the sources and links. Read the medical study summarized and linked by Campbell, which is my only reason for posting this so that it might help folks. 

You should have posted a caveat then, that he is not a fully qualified medical doctor and that he has been censored for spreading Covid misinformation. And that's all I'm going to say on the subject because as you say, it is off topic. Beware of charlatans.