What should I know about targeted proton radiation for stage 1 prostate cancer?

Proton beam therapy is a specialized form of radiation treatment that uses high-energy proton particles instead of traditional X-rays, and it's being studied for various cancer types including prostate cancer. It's great that you're doing your research and getting a consultation to learn more about your treatment options - having all the information will help you and your medical team make the best decision for your specific situation.

I had 28 proton treatments this past summer. They based the treatment location on a MRI (with and without contrast) that I’d done a month before. The first real appointment was the toughest part of the treatment regimen. They inserted gold markers guided by imaging into the area I needed treatment. This is done by a needle injection into your perineum ( the area between your genitalia and anus). They also inserted some Barrigel medical foam to push my rectum away from the treatment area. Next day was an imaging study (cat scan I think) to get a true 3-d view of the treatment area and the gold markers. The proton treatments are painless. I did notice a little fatigue towards the end. I also had some noticeable pain in my bladder and rectum after the treatments were completed. I was given some oxycodone to help get past this pain … it did not last too many days, and I was halving the oxy pills to get a lower dose. They waited a couple of months after treatments to take another MRI. Tumor was less than 1/2 of the original size, and the doctor says it will continue to shrink. Apparently, the cancer cells are slow to die from these treatments. If you have questions, please feel free to ask.