ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MIGPS navigation for your prostate

(02/06/12) - Just like GPS technology makes it easier to find where you are going in your car, a new tool may help doctors navigate your body. This "GPS" tracks cancer. Specifically, it tracks prostate cancer while patients are undergoing treatment. There are plenty of treatments helping men with prostate cancer live longer, but this one may mean fewer difficult side effects.

Rick dancer's life is a balancing act. He powers his way through intense two-hour daily workouts. "I think I'm in the best shape that I've ever been in my life."

When Rick was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, he was determined not to let it affect his lifestyle. "I don't want to live not being able to do the things that I love to do."

Rick tried a new radiation system called the Calypso. It works like a GPS,  tracking the prostate's location during the entire treatment. The prostate is considered a moving target during radiation because it changes position when the bladder and rectum are empty or full.

"We know exactly where the car is with a GPS device. We know exactly where the prostate is with this device," said Dr. Howard Sandler of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Calypso works like this: three tiny transponders are implanted in the patient's prostate. They emit radio-waves that allow doctors to track exactly where the prostate is at any given time. The system is so precise, the beams only hit the prostate, sparing surrounding organs. Studies show it reduces gastro-intestinal side effects. Doctors expect it could reduce sexual side effects, too. "It's like having a movie, a continuous read-out where the prostate is throughout the entire treatment."

Rick continued his grueling workouts even while undergoing radiation. He says the treatments didn't interfere with his active lifestyle. Now,  he pushes even harder. "I just don't want it to win."

The new system allows doctors to know where the prostate is within one-millimeter throughout the entire treatment. So far it's been used on about 6,000patients in the U.S. 

For more information, visit www.calypsomedical.com.