The incidence of cancer prostate is rapidly increasing after the age of 60 years. In many cases it is diagnosed incidentally because it is asymptomatic in early stages. Prostate cancer can be easily diagnosed by a simple blood test called serum PSA. Normal value of serum PSA is between 0-4 ng/ml but in cases of prostatitis and malignancy, it is secreted excessively by prostate gland and the values rise in blood.
The main modality of treatment of early stage prostate cancer has been surgery or radiation. Surgery includes radical prostatectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. It is a major surgery and is associated with side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Besides this, after the age of 60 years, co-morbid conditions like hypertension and diabetes make surgery more complicated.
On the other hand, radiation is a safer alternative to surgery with equivalent results. The modality of radiation has undergone major revolution in the era of modern day science and technology. With the integration of image fusion ( CT , MRI or PET) and computer based inverse planning, a precision of even 1-5 mm is achieved in treatment delivery. This leads to improved target dose delivery and significant reduction in radiation dose to normal tissues like rectum and bladder, thereby resulting in improved response rates and decrease in side effects of radiation to minimal levels.
Currently, radiation is the preferred modality for treatment of cancer prostate with more and more patients opting for it as against surgery. It will not be wrong if radiation is considered equal or superior to a surgeon’s knife with no scar on the skin.
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