A procedure in which a sample of body tissue is removed and then examined under a microscope.
Benign (noncancerous) enlargement of the prostate.
Also called seed implantation, brachytherapy is the use of small radioactive pellets, or seeds, each about the size of a grain or rice, to irradiate the cancer from inside the prostate gland.
Irradiation of tissue from sources outside of the body using linear accelerators.
Radiopaque (gold) markers used to mark the location of the prostate and other anatomy (lung, breast) to track relative position of a tumor over the course of therapy.
The grade, determined by a pathologist examining biopsy tissue, indicating how quickly the cancer is likely to grow and spread.
Calypso’s real-time tracking technology is often referred to by patients as GPS for the Body® technology because of the real-time information that is provided about the location of the prostate.
Image-guided radiation therapy uses either two-dimensional or three-dimensional imaging to plan and begin radiation therapy. Image-guided adaptive radiation therapy uses these images on an ongoing basis to ensure that the region of interest has not shifted since the last treatment took place. This imaging is performed daily and is compared to a set of reference images taken before the start of the first treatment. Some forms of IGART add substantial amounts of non-therapeutic radiation to a course of treatment.
A type of radiation energy used in diagnostic and therapeutic radiology. All ionizing radiation has the potential to damage human cells as well as cure cancer.
The act of exposing tissue to radiation therapy.
Organs, which contain cancer cells or tumors, can be treated with radiation. Organs may move during radiation therapy delivery. Organ motion occurs because physiologic changes occur in the body from moment-to-moment (such as respiration and/or bladder or rectal filling/emptying). Organ motion is important because it may prevent the radiation beam to accurately focus on the tumor target during the course of radiation therapy treatments.
Organs at risk (OAR) are defined as tissues that show a higher radio-sensitivity than normal tissue. Therefore, they have to be spared over the course of the radiation treatments. OAR may shift over time and their size and shape may not remain consistent. Organ motion is considered during the treatment planning phase by adding a safe margin in which to compensate for this uncertainty.
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a protein manufactured exclusively by the prostate gland. PSA is produced for the ejaculate where it liquefies the semen and allows sperm cells to swim freely. Elevated levels of PSA in blood serum are associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.
Physicians who are specialty-trained and board-certified in the treatment of cancer patients with therapeutic radiation.
Refers to the use of energy, in the form of x-rays, sent to target the cancer with the intent to kill cancer cells.
Healthcare professionals trained in the delivery of therapeutic ionizing radiation to patients.
Surgery that attempts to cure prostate cancer by removing the entire prostate gland plus some of the tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles.
This is a proprietary technology only available from Calypso Medical in which small electromagnetic Beacon® transponders are used to generate information about the location of the prostate. The Calypso® System displays this information in real-time and alerts the therapist if the prostate has moved outside of the radiation beam.
Small radioactive seeds or pellets, each about the size of a grain or rice, inserted into the prostate to irradiate the cancer from inside the prostate gland.
Side effects to normal tissues of treatment (in this case, of ionizing radiation to healthy tissues).
A method of imaging the prostate when the imaging transducer is positioned in the rectum.
Treatment planning techniques that add a safety margin around a tumor or target. These margins assist in making sure that the target is in the beam each day.
The radiation delivery treatment schedule that is prescribed by the physician for each patient based on that patient’s diagnosis. Typically, a two-month period of daily treatment is required for prostate patients receiving external beam treatments.
A single surface area, as defined by the collimated radiation beam, delivered by the treatment machine (linear accelerator). This term is often used synonymously with treatment “port”. A single treatment region may have one or more treatment ports converging upon it.
An ensemble of radiation exposure beams or sources designed to produce a prescribed dosage pattern in and for the patient; includes spatial and temporal distributions. Planning radiation treatment is done on a computer system using CT, digitally reproduced radiographs (DRRs) or diagnostic -rays.
