ONS Connect - September 2008 - (Page 9)

Mary A. Schoen’s, MSN, MPH, NP-C, institution uses nomograms to help patients identify the best treatment options. Treatments such as watchful waiting, radical prostatectomy, da Vinci® robotic-assisted prostatectomy (Intuitive Surgical Inc.) (see “One Nurse’s Perspective,” p. 13), external-beam radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and brachytherapy all may be used in patients with prostate cancer. Each has an impact on patients’ quality of life, but can one treatment be viewed as the best? Healthcare providers must consider a number of factors when recommending treatment for prostate cancer. proton-beam radiotherapy has few Side Effects ONS member Tai Ly, RN, MSN, ANP-C, is a registered nurse in the Genitourinary Proton Therapy Center at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Although proton therapy has been used for years to treat prostate cancer, M.D. Anderson only recently began offering the treatment. Ly says she sees patients who are interested in receiving proton therapy because it has minimal side effects. Proton-beam radiotherapy (PBRT) uses a beam of protons to irradiate the DNA of cancer cells while reducing the dose delivered to the surrounding healthy tissues. The result is an effective treatment for prostate cancer. However, only five proton facilities currently exist in the United States, so PBRT may not be routinely available as a treatment option for many patients. “The advantage of proton therapy is its ability to deposit a high dose of radiation to the desired target, with little to no radiation deposited beyond the target,” Ly says. Selecting potential patients for proton therapy is a comprehensive process to ensure that they are suitable candidates who will receive maximum benefits, Ly says. Typically, patients will submit medical information pertaining to their cancer diagnosis, and the healthcare team reviews all of the necessary information. A full patient history is needed because certain conditions may preclude treatment with proton therapy (e.g., metallic hip prosthesis, weight restriction, metastatic disease). September 2008 ONS CONNECT 9

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ONS Connect - September 2008

ONS Connect - September 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Advances in Prostate Cancer Treatment A Year in the Life - Month Nine Web Connect Capitol Connection Manage Infusion Reactions From Cetuximab Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care Oropharyngeal Cancer in Men Associated with HPV Working for You Calendar of Events Staying on Top

ONS Connect - September 2008

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