By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
WEST AMWELL — A West Amwell man was the first patient to complete a new treatment for prostate cancer at Capital Health System in Mercer County.
Joseph Ferguson, 61, of Rocktown-Lambertville Road, underwent cyberknife radiation treatment in August.
He is so pleased by the outcome and by how quickly he recovered, he wants to spread the word so other men who are facing a similar diagnosis know there’s a new treatment to consider.
”It seems like a good solution,” he said.
Cyberknife is noninvasive and can reach tumors other radiation treatments sometimes cannot. Because the technology is so precise — it has sub-millimeter accuracy — it can deliver a high dose of radiation to a very small and very specific targeted area while minimizing trauma to surrounding tissues.
In addition to treating prostate cancer, it also has been used to treat tumors and lesions of the brain, spine, pancreas, lung and liver.
According to CHS, the treatment is faster and has fewer side effects than conventional radiation for prostate cancer. It uses a combination of robotics and image-guidance technology to deliver the precisely targeted dose of radiation.
Conventional radiation treatments for prostate cancer consist of 40 sessions. With the new cyberknife, Mr. Ferguson underwent only five radiation treatments.
”I don’t see any drawbacks at all,” said Dr. Steven Orland, Mr. Ferguson’s urologist at CHS. “The advantage is higher doses over a shorter period of time. I think it’s an excellent technique to treat men with what we call localized prostate cancer.”
Mr. Ferguson, who retired from Verizon, is a part-time driver for an excavation firm.
”I went back to work right away,” he said. “It was good. That’s what I like about this treatment. I think more people should know about it.”
Mr. Ferguson said there is a history of cancer in his family. When he was diagnosed, he was aware of the treatments available, but he wanted something different.
”I looked for something else than had been done in the past,” he said.
He searched the Internet, discovered the cyberknife treatment and made an appointment to talk to Dr. Daniel Fram, a radiation oncologist and medical director of the Cyberknife Center at CHS.
Mr. Ferguson underwent the cyberknife radiosurgery in August at Capital Health System’s Cyberknife Center in Trenton.
CHS is the only hospital in Mercer and Bucks counties that offers the new technology. CHS has used it since July 2007 and treated about 100 patients, including those with problems of the brain, spine, liver, lung, pancreas and bone, according to Dr. Fram.
According to CHS, the new technology “provides unparalleled access to previously unreachable and untreatable tumors throughout the body when radiation therapy is indicated.”
Although the success rate is variable for different parts of the body, “the control rate is 90 percent in most areas,” Dr. Fram said.
Other hospitals around the world have been using the technology for about two to three years and have treated thousands of patients with “very good early tolerance, and also the PSA levels are coming down nicely, just like we would expect with other types of radiation,” Dr. Fram said.
PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen. A PSA test measures the amount of PSA in the blood. Prostate cancer and some benign conditions can increase the level of PSA, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The dose of radiation is “very closely directed to where we want it,” Dr. Fram said. “The preliminary information suggests this is an excellent way to get treatment.”
Prostate cancer is the most common nonskin cancer in America, and it affects one in six men, according to the American Cancer Society.
The National Cancer Institute estimates there will be 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer in 2008 and 28,660 deaths.
Because September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, CHS is offering free prostate cancer screenings through the end of the month. To schedule a free screening, call 800-255-3440 or visit www.capitalhealth.org/freehealthscreenings.
For more information about Cyberknife Center at CHS, visit www.chscyberknife.com or call 609-394-4565.

