A Southland man has received a "world-class" prostate cancer treatment that dramatically shortens treatment time.
Bowen Icon Cancer Centre has introduced stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) that reduces treatment, delivers high doses of radiation in 15 minutes and monitors that patient's prostate motion with small gold markers.
Invercargill local John Patrick was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February this year.
The 62-year-old was due to start a job at the same time he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and took up the new treatment because it was shorter than the usual five to six weeks.
"For me, it was essential to have a reduced treatment time. Because I had just started a new job, having five or six weeks off to undergo treatment wasn't an option. Taking ten days off was doable. I feel privileged I was able to have this treatment."
He was the first prostate cancer patient treated with SABR at Bowen Icon Cancer Centre in Wellington.
Patrick said his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level has since dropped from what it was when he was first diagnosed.
"My PSA is now down to 1.9 from 8.9, which is as good as can be expected (two months on from) finishing treatment."
More than 4000 Kiwi men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year across the motu. Bowen Icon Cancer Centre Radiation Oncologist Dr Han Kim said the treatment minimises the impact and burden of time and travel.
"Particularly for those who live some distance from a radiation therapy centre."
Dr Kim said the new technology allows a high dose of radiation to be delivered to the tumour "very precisely" without compromising other healthy organs.
"A standard course of prostate cancer radiation therapy can involve four to eight weeks of daily visits."
