During the press conference, Dr. Katz also spoke to the cost-benefits of CyberKnife SBRT, which he said "is less expensive than IMRT for a payer like Medicare, which can cost the government program upwards of $40,000 for a full round of treatments in some areas."

CyberKnife SBRT for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer was the focus of a study presented by Robert Meier, M.D., a radiation oncologist with the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle, and co-lead by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. In this multi-center study, 129 patients were treated at 21 centers throughout the United States. At a median follow-up of 36 months, the three-year disease-free survival rate, as updated by Dr. Meier during his presentation, was 99.2 percent, which is higher than those typically seen with external beam radiotherapy. The urinary and rectal side effect profile was as good as or better than other radiotherapy treatments, with comparable sexual function outcomes.


"Our study demonstrates very promising cancer control rates and few side effects, which are in line with the growing body of clinical evidence supporting the value of CyberKnife prostate SBRT," said Dr. Meier. "Through the use of image guidance and robotics, we're able to continuously track the prostate and concentrate hundreds of radiation beams into the target with sub-millimeter accuracy, which helps us effectively treat the disease while sparing nearby healthy tissue and critical structures."

Donald Fuller, M.D., a radiation oncologist from Genesis Healthcare in San Diego, presented findings from a multi-center study of 260 patients with low and intermediate-risk prostate cancer treated using CyberKnife SBRT at 17 institutions, using an approach that emulates the dosimetry of high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy.

Patients were followed for up to 48 months with a median follow-up of 24 months, and found to have disease-free survival of 98.5 percent, as updated during his presentation. Urinary and rectal toxicities reported at a minimum 1 year follow-up were in line with outcomes of traditional radiation therapy and erectile function returned to baseline by 3 years, with minimal disruption after treatment.

"These findings should encourage men to explore CyberKnife SBRT as a viable alternative to surgery or other radiation treatments, such as brachytherapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy," said Dr. Fuller. "Findings to date indicate we may be able to minimize the undesirable side effects typically associated with other treatment modalities and help to preserve patients' quality of life during and after prostate cancer treatment."

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