Increase accuracy and patient comfort in prostate cancer treatment planning

One of the most common cancers in men in the United States, prostate cancer is second in prevalence after skin cancer. About 12.5 percent of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their life. In other words, out of 100 American men, about 13 will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime, and about two to three men will die from it, according to the. Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention (CDC).

Even so, survival rates for prostate cancer are generally good, with a five-year relative survival of 97.5 percent. Survival is high because many prostate cancers grow slowly or not at all. The goal of screening is to find cancers that can develop if left untreated.

Once detected, there are several ways to treat prostate cancer. Every patient is different. What works for one patient may not be the best solution for another patient. There is no single roadmap.

Once diagnosed, effective radiation therapy planning is a key factor in achieving positive results. At the UroPartners Cancer Treatment Center in Gurnee, we discovered that a state-of-the-art oncology CT simulation system that increases treatment accuracy, while keeping patients comfortable – delivers excellent results at our clinicians to define treatment volumes.

This article explores how the technology found in the Fujifilm Persona CT supports our team of physicians and the specific benefits it offers to clinicians and patients.

Understanding the male patient

Any seasoned doctor knows that healing is a two-way street. Doctors cannot do it alone. It also requires the active participation of the patient. Just as a doctor must guide and implement the right treatment, a patient must accept and welcome the treatment so that healing can begin.

Doctors sometimes face unique challenges when treating men. For starters, many men are reluctant to see a doctor. Dodging from doctors is a widespread phenomenon among men, according to a 2019 Cleveland Clinic survey, which found that only 50% of men engage in preventive care, such as the annual checkup.

In fact, 72 percent of men interviewed said they would rather clean the bathroom or mow the lawn than go to the doctor.

Now imagine the man who is diagnosed with prostate cancer. He faces a unique set of emotional issues. The cancer diagnosis itself can be terribly upsetting, but the stigma associated with prostate cancer is something more.

For a man with prostate cancer, there may be a feeling of emasculation or even guilt about not being able to have intimate relationships due to anxiety and fear. Additionally, patients with loss of libido and erectile dysfunction as a result of the disease and treatment are at increased risk for depression, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, and fear of disease progression.

Finally, many of these men fear treatments that could impact their ability to get an erection and / or cause incontinence problems.

Simply put, the male patient – and especially the male patient undergoing prostate cancer treatment – should feel confident with their doctors as well as their oncology treatment plan. Patient comfort and anxiety relief are key factors in this process.

The treatment planning process

Partnering with patients to make healing happen is a priority at UroPartners. Our organization is the largest independent urology group in the Midwest, providing advanced urology care with a team of more than 90 providers and 37 locations across Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

Our radiation oncologists use a variety of advanced technologies. These include Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), SpaceOAR, the Calypso 4D Localization System, and brachytherapy alone or in combination with other cancer management modalities. prostate.

By combining extensive experience and training with the latest technology, UroPartners provides patients with the personalized and compassionate care they deserve. From the initial consultation and throughout the treatment, our radiation oncologists partner with other specialists and patients at every stage of the process.

Between our three centers, we treat approximately 310 patients per year for prostate cancer. Recently, we invested in the Persona CT System from Fujifilm Medical Systems USA, Inc., for our cancer treatment center in Gurnee, Illinois.

Since the installation of the Persona CT System in January 2021, we have had great success in planning treatment for prostate cancer.

After a patient’s initial consultation, one of our radiation oncologists works with the rest of our team to design a personalized treatment plan. The patient should undergo a CT scan as the first step to ensure accurate disease targeting.

The main goal of planning CT scans is to identify the specific treatment area in order to properly target cancer and spare healthy tissue. Accurate delivery of radiation throughout a man’s treatments is critical to a successful outcome. Fujifilm Persona CT helps us achieve this goal.

Benefits of a state-of-the-art CT system

Planning for prostate cancer treatment is complex. When developing a treatment plan, it is important for the doctor to examine the prostate, seminal vesicles, lymph nodes, bladder, rectum, and hip joint.

Our Persona CT is a state-of-the-art computed tomography system that offers advanced oncology simulation and general radiographic imaging capabilities, while also emphasizing the patient experience. At UroPartners, we have found that Persona CT offers significant benefits for clinical and patient comfort, both of which contribute to successful treatment planning.

Let’s start with some of the clinical benefits. Persona CT is more accurate than traditional CT scanners. For example, it has a number of images of 128 slices compared to a number of slices of 8 or 16 images of traditional scanners. At UroPartners, he delivers clear, high-resolution images every time.

There are specific characteristics that we also find beneficial. In my personal experience, Metal Artifact Reduction (MAR) is a great feature that has allowed us to see the prostate and lymph nodes better when a patient presents with metal in their body.

MAR is a projection-based reconstruction technique that restores anatomical details often masked by metal in conventional image reconstruction. MAR automatically identifies areas affected by strongly attenuated objects and reconstructs enhanced images for increased clinical confidence. Next Generation MAR removes and / or dramatically reduces the drag artifact created by metal.

Additionally, Sun Nuclear’s laser positioning coupled with the world’s first 85cm CT bore means Persona CT is designed to ensure patients can be imaged in the optimal treatment position, while maintaining positioning and accuracy requirements. radiation oncology.

While improving clinical confidence is essential, improving patient comfort is equally important to the treatment planning process. It’s no secret that patients are more comfortable when they are comfortable. The reduction in anxiety in patients cannot be underestimated as it helps us provide better care.

The Persona CT’s large, wide-open bore keeps patients of all sizes calm, as it likely induces less claustrophobia than many other machines. Additionally, the Persona CT features high-speed scanning, which is especially popular with patients who have difficulty staying still. To help reduce side effects, UroPartners treats patients with a full bladder. The shorter scan time also helps increase patient comfort. The sooner we can do the scan, the faster the patient will be able to move forward in their treatment program.

Promote early detection, improve cure rates

In 2021 there will be an estimate 248,530 new cases of prostate cancer, and about 34,130 men will die from the disease.

Clinicians should do everything possible to not only provide appropriate treatment, but also help detect the disease early in the first place, which helps improve cure rates.

At UroPartners, we are committed to raising awareness of the importance of prostate screening. To this end, we are participating in the SEA Blue National Prostate Cancer Walk and Run held in Chicago. Each September, nearly 1,500 participants gather in beautiful Lincoln Park to participate in the SEA Blue Walk and Run to raise funds and educate those affected by prostate cancer.

SEA Blue is a celebration of life, of those who have risen to the challenge of fighting prostate cancer, the lives lost to the disease and the people we will help fight it in the future through the Support, Education, and Advocacy (SEA in SEA Blue). People affected by all stages of the disease come together and build a fellowship at SEA Blue through togetherness, tears and triumph.

Raising awareness so that more men get tested is the first step. But treating men once they are diagnosed with prostate cancer is our main mission at UroPartners.

Having the right technology – like Fujifilm’s Persona CT – to support our radiation therapy planning gives us an extra dose of confidence… while giving our patients an extra dose of comfort.

Yashbir Mehta, MD, is a radiation oncologist at UroPartners.

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