Fewer Side Effects, Better Quality of Life
Genitourinary cancers affect the reproductive organs and urinary system, which include the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra, as well as (in men) the prostate gland, testicles, penis and epididymis, and (in women) the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, vagina, external genitalia and perineum. Treating genitourinary cancers with conventional radiation can lead to long-term urinary and reproductive problems. Proton therapy largely prevents these sensitive areas from receiving any measurable dose of excess radiation – making it ideal for a variety of genitourinary cancers including prostate cancer and uterine cancer.
Genitourinary Cancers We Treat Include
- Prostate cancer
- Kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma)
- Testicular cancer
- Bladder (urothelial) cancer
- Gynecologic cancers
Life-Changing Prostate Cancer Treatment
When Greg was initially diagnosed with prostate cancer, he sought out a second opinion that led him to the New York Proton Center. Today, he is in remission and extraordinarily relieved he opted for proton therapy.
Pencil Beam Scanning at the New York Proton Center
Patients at our center receive pencil beam scanning, a highly sophisticated and the most modern form of proton therapy. It uses an extremely narrow beam of protons to “paint” the intended radiation dose onto the tumor. The technology can target specific parts of the tumor with different radiation dose levels, while better protecting the surrounding normal tissues from irradiation.
Not All Proton Therapy Is Created Equal
Many other proton centers use “volumetric” beams that deliver a fixed quantity of energy to the entire tumor. But the pencil beam scanning technology at the New York Proton Center delivers “intensity-modulated proton therapy,” or IMPT.
Widely considered the most advanced form of proton therapy, IMPT can target different parts of the tumor with different radiation dose levels based on the prescription and the tumor’s exact location, while better protecting the surrounding normal tissues from irradiation. That’s particularly valuable when treating the most complicated tumors, those residing in the fissures of the head, neck and skull base.
