Proton therapy 20 treatment

[Paver1]

Had markers and space oar vue installed today, dr asked if I wanted 20 treatments or 28. Anyone have experience with 20

[Tall_Allen]

This is not for advanced prostate cancer or a recurrence, right? I had 5 treatments. No lasting side effects. I'm a big fan of hypofractionation.

[Paver1 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Hi Allen, yes it’s intermediate aggressive not recurrence. I was concerned because the dr offered the 20 treatments instead of the 28 after I told him I will be driving 1 hour there and 1 hour back daily. I don’t mind the driving, just want to get the best treatment he acted as though it would be very similar se and same cure rate.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Paver1]

There is no set number of treatments for a hypofractionated protocol. During the pandemic, fewer is better.

[doc1947g]

I had 20 Photon VMAT Hypofractionnated 3 Gy X 20 Rx with ADT for 6 months.

I am 73 y.o. and G(4+3=7) Grade 3

[doc1947g]

Here in Canada, Quebec province, they do not use marker or space oar because they feel that the less they insert thing the less bad reactions they could cause, but they do a mini-CT-Scan 15 seconds before the VMAT where the head of the RT m,machine go full circle around me clockwise and anticlockwise. The whole Rx including positioning lasted less than 5 minutes.

I had 20 Rxs like that, five days a week for 4 weeks.

I also received 2 Rxs of ADT (6 months long).

My last PSA was 0.03 ugL (I still have my prostate) and Testosterone <0.2 nmol/l or <5.76368 ngdL

[Hidden]

I had to ask to be included in a study and still do not know if I get 20 or 39 sessions. Treatment is about 10 weeks out. The day I went for the SpacOAR and markers I was told to wait, they gave me a Lupron injection because cancer slipped out of the gland by 1mm.

Insurance in the states does not support PBT yet so the co-pay is high and the clinic decides if I go 39 or 20 sessions.

They are trying to prove 20 sessions with more energy are as good as 39 at a lower/shorter amount.