RCOG prostate cancer treatment database reaches new milestone

Mar 24 2010

Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia (RCOG), a division of RC Cancer Centers announced today that they have reached a new milestone and recently treated their 12,500th patient for prostate cancer with their ProstRcision® treatment therapy.  The milestone means their treatment database is one of the most comprehensive in the nation.  Available exclusively from RC Cancer Centers, ProstRcision® has the industry's highest documented cure rate of 83 percent.

Each year thousands of patients from around the world and across the United States turn to RC Cancer Centers seeking a cure and learn why they are The Choice for Saving Lives. Founded in 1979, Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia, a division of RC Cancer Centers, has earned a reputation for being one of the country's top cancer treatment and research facilities.  With their commitment to quality, use of the latest radiation technology and research focus, RCOG treats men and women with different types of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, colon, lymphatic and others.

RC Cancer Centers is the exclusive provider of ProstRcision®, which is a unique technique for curing prostate cancer that uses a combination of pinpoint irradiation through seed implant and conformal beam irradiation. In addition to the rigorous decade of education and training required of any surgeon, ProstRcision® doctors must complete an additional year of procedural instruction and surgical training before performing ProstRcision® on their own, in contrast to industry standards for other seed implant and robotic procedures. Only seven physicians in the country are credentialed in the procedure and all are affiliated with RC Cancer Centers.

"ProstRcision's 10-year documented cure rate of 88 percent and the ability to protect against incontinence and preserve normal sex function makes it one of the most important treatment options available today," said Dr. James Benton of Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia.  "Our highly skilled and trained staff keeps abreast of the latest advances in treatment and are able to use this knowledge to provide men with effective outcomes delivered in a caring environment."

"Education is the key to taking control of your prostate cancer," said Don Holton, president & CEO of RC Cancer Centers. "We encourage men to contact RC Cancer Centers so they can learn the facts, know about the types of treatment available and find out the cure rate of the option they may choose."

The demographic and statistical information of all men treated with ProstRcision® is the data source for the RCOG prostate cancer treatment database. Data is collected about each man before treatment, during irradiation and at each check-up following treatment. Examples of information gathered before treatment are a man's age, his PSA before irradiation, his Gleason score, his prostate size, his sexual function, and how many times he gets up at night to urinate. The number of I-125 seeds, amount of irradiation from seeds, and external irradiation are just some examples of the data collected. The significance of this data is most helpful as more prostate cancer patients seek concise, factual and evidence-based information before they choose, along with their physician, the best course of treatment.

This database with its more than nine million data points makes it possible to proactively help other men diagnosed with prostate cancer. By contacting the concierge service, men can speak directly with a board-certified radiation oncologist. After providing pertinent medical information to RCOG, the findings are then matched with those of men with similar circumstances from the database and a 10-year individual cure rate (ICR) is calculated. These ICR calculations can help men make objective decisions about which treatment method gives them the best chance of cure.

In an effort to better educate men about their health choices, RC Cancer Centers and Radiotherapy Centers of Georgia are sharing information about prostate cancer treatment options through the Web site CuringProstateCancer.com.

Visitors to the site can request a free guide and DVD "Questions & Answers to Curing Prostate Cancer" that provides additional information on the subject.