The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute Recognizes Cancer Awareness Months to Drive Education and Support Patients

September - Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

According to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) diagnosed in men in the United States. Furthermore, it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, after lung cancer, in the United States. Bringing awareness to screenings, symptoms and treatment options is necessary to change these dire facts.

At the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, proton radiation for prostate cancer treatment offers an innovative method of radiation treatment intended to lower the risk of prostate cancer treatments and side effects.

For treating cancer of the prostate, proton therapy offers multiple benefits:

• Excellent control of tumors, thanks to more precise targeting of radiation
• Lower risk of damage to healthy tissue surrounding the prostate cancer
• Better quality of life for patients undergoing prostate proton therapy treatments

Based on a 2016 study of more than 1,300 men treated with image-guided proton therapy for prostate cancer that had not spread, proton therapy provided excellent outcomes (in terms of survival) five years after treatment. In addition, there were low rates of severe side effects, leading to high quality of life per outcomes reported by patients themselves. The blog, “Radiation treatment for prostate cancer,” links to more details about the five-year study and provides further explanation about proton beam radiation for prostate cancer. In the coming months, the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute will release its findings from a 10-year study of prostate cancer patients.

October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For many patients with breast cancer, radiation can be a valuable part of treatment. Proton therapy is a type of radiation that stops at a very specific point in the targeted tissue; conventional radiation continues beyond the tumor. This unique feature of proton therapy can be used to decrease the radiation dose to the nearby tissues. In breast cancer, this means (on average) no radiation to the heart and (on average) 50% less radiation to the lung compared to conventional radiation. Read more about this study here.

Read “UF Health and UF Health Proton Therapy Institute Collaborate to Offer Patients World-Class Breast Cancer Care” from a previous newsletter to learn more about the excellent care these providers are offering breast cancer patients.