Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, effective treatment options exist. It is important that all of your questions be answered and all of your treatment options be fully explained. Here are some common questions and answers which may be helpful in your treatment decision. Be sure to talk to your doctor about your specific diagnosis and all treatment options.
How common is prostate cancer?
How treatable is prostate cancer?
What is the most popular choice for prostate cancer treatment?
Is Proxcelan an approved treatment in the United States?
Does Medicare pay for Proxcelan?
How common is prostate cancer?
The American Cancer Society estimates that 218,890 men will be diagnosed in the United States in 2007. A man has about a 1-in-5 chance of developing prostate cancer in his lifetime, but only 1-in-33 men will die of the disease. Prostate cancer accounts for about 10% of cancer deaths in men.
How treatable is prostate cancer?
A recent clinical study of over 1700 patients followed for 12 years showed a survival rate of 99% at 10 years for low-risk prostate cancer patients receiving seed brachytherapy. Sixty percent of all prostate cancers are found when they appear to be confined to the prostate gland. The 5-year relative survival rate for men diagnosed when prostate cancer is in the local and regional stages (local means it is still confined to the prostate; regional means it has spread from the prostate to nearby areas, but not to distant sites such as bone) is nearly 100%. Of the men whose prostate cancers have already spread to distant parts of the body at the time of diagnosis, about 34% will survive at least 5 years.
What is the most popular choice for prostate cancer treatment?
According to the National Cancer Institute, in the early 1990s, roughly 30 percent of prostate cancer patients in the United States were treated by surgery, 30 percent by radiation, and 20 percent by watchful waiting, while most of the rest were treated with a combination of therapies. However, since about 1993, the rate of prostatectomies has been dropping. Some recent market surveys indicate the rate of seed brachytherapy procedures is now greater than prostatectomy.
Is Proxcelan a cleared treatment in the United States?
Yes. Proxcelan received FDA clearance for market in March 2003 for the treatment of prostate, breast, liver, head, and neck cancers, as well as other malignant diseases.
Does Medicare pay for Proxcelan?
Yes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have established a specific reimbursement code for Proxcelan. Most insurance companies also cover seed brachytherapy treatment.
IsoRay Medical, Inc. of Richland, Washington is the only company in the world manufacturing and distributing the Proxcelan seed. Corporate headquarters are located in Richland, Washington.
