HEALTH FIRST'S RADIATION ONCOLOGIST Brendan Prendergast, MD, says today’s radiation therapy for prostate cancer is very precise, aided by TrueBeam radiotherapy technology with Varian IDENTIFY that targets delivery to maximize effective treatment while minimizing collateral damage.

Prostate cancer affects about 1 in 8 American men, or about a quarter of a million new cases every year. The strongest risk factor is a family history of prostate cancer, and rates of prostate cancer increase, and increase steadily, with age.

“Unfortunately, there's not really a lot of symptoms of prostate cancer until it might be too late,” says Health First Radiation Oncologist Brendan Prendergast, MD. “That's why we believe it's very important for men who are at risk for prostate cancer to have that conversation with their doctors and to have a PSA blood test as a screening test, because that is how most prostate cancers are found.”

The good news is that advanced technology has made successful treatment of prostate cancer likely,  especially when it’s caught early. At Health First Cancer Institute, TrueBeam radiotherapy aided by Vivian IDENTIFY patient-tracking during treatment has made radiation therapy the non-surgical treatment choice of oncologists and patients, both for optimal outcomes and fewer or diminished side effects.

To learn more about Health First’s Cancer Institute, visit HF.org/cancer.