Paper presented by Dr. James Bicher, MD,
in the Society for Thermal Medicine, April 2010, on the less sexual side
effects of Hyperthermia combined with low-dose-fractionated-radiation,
compared with conventional radiation, on Prostate Cancer Treatment
The term low-dose-radiation we use means to divide
the total radiation dose in fractions, giving low fractions of
radiation, but enough to successfully complete the cancer treatment.
The sexual side effects of this relatively new therapy are much less
than conventional radiation therapy.
Sexual side effects of conventional prostate
cancer treatments like surgery, high dose radiation, and/or chemotherapy are: impotence, erectile
sexual dysfunction, loss of libido, plus incontinence and diarrhea.
Hyperfractionated Thermoradiotheray (HTRT)
Causes
Less Sexual Dysfunction than External Beam Radiation Therapy
(EBRT)
in Definitive Treatment of Prostate Cancer
James I. Bicher, M.D., and Ralph S. Wolfstein, M.D.
Valley Cancer Institute, Los Angeles, California
Treatment modalities for early stage prostate
cancer (surgery, EBRT or brachytherapy) have a similar degree of
effectiveness (over 90% 5-year survival), thus, preservation of sexual
function becomes an important criteria for modality selection.
We have
compared the results of published data (1) (2)(3) on the percentage of
erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients treated successfully with EBRT
with that of 5-year survivors in our institution following
hyperfractionated thermoradiotherapy (HTRT). As previously described the
HTRT technique consists of decreasing daily doses of EBRT combined with
daily hyperthermia treatments delivered using a Labthermics Ultrasound
Machine.
Published results report an incidence of erectile dysfunction between
30 to 60 per cent following EBRT. In our series of 22 patients treated,
only 2 reported ED leading to impotence, amounting to 10% of 5-year
survivors. In most cases patients and their spouses reported increased
sexual activity.
Conclusion: Hyperfractionated radiotherapy seems to cause less
complications of sexual dysfunction than external beam radiation
therapy. We consider the institution of randomized trials to study this
concept warranted.
1 Siglin et al- Int J. Radiation Onc.. Biol. Physics 76;31-35
2010
2 Sanda et al- N. Engl J. Med 358 1250-1261 2008
3 Pinkawa et al EUR UROL 55 217-236 2009
4 Bicher et al-German Journal of
Onc. 33:116-122 2006
Latest
Cancer Treatment Results
at the Valley Cancer Institute,
using
Hyperthermia combined with low-dose-fractionated-radiation.
The following results represent early
stages of cancer.
These results have
been consistent in the last 26 years.
Video Interviews with two
"graduated" Prostate Cancer patients from Valley Cancer Institute,
the very same day they finished the treatment.
They were ready to get back to life
normally, with no recovery time needed
(from side effects)!
Summarizing, the most common side
effects of a Prostate Cancer Treatment with conventional surgery,
followed by high dose radiation and chemotherapy, are:
Impotence
Decrease or Loss of Libido
Incontinence
Diarrhea
From other websites we found the
following information:
There are six broad categories of side
effects typically associated with prostate cancer treatments:
The table below is acomparison
three of these side effects across the different local therapies,
the conventional surgery, and high dose radiation (NNSRP=non-nerve
sparing radical prostatectomy, NSRP=nerve sparing radical prostatectomy,
EBRT=external beam radiation therapy, BT=brachytherapy).
Each table shows the proportion of men three years after therapy with
sexual dysfunction (left), bowel problems (middle), and urinary
incontinence (right).
Yellow indicates normal function
Blue indicates mild dysfunction
Red indicates more severe dysfunction
These figures are shown for men with normal function prior to
therapy.
Reproduced from the Journal of Clinical Oncology 2009; 27:
3916-3922.
On the other hand, and according with Dr. James
Bicher MD, the sexual side effects of Hyperthermia combined with
low-radiation-dose are much lower than the side effects we see in the
above table.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Call for more information: (310)398-0013,
and ask for Nash. Thanks
Welcome
to
Valley
Cancer Institute / Bicher Cancer Institute
