A recent article published in the Jacksonville Times-Union newspaper informs us that Cyberknife prostate radiation treatments are being considered for being cut from medicare reimbursement in Florida.

Traditional radiation therapy consists of about 40 daily treatments, 5 days a week. Cyberknife radiation therapy is touted as more precise with less damage to surrounding tissues, and consists of only 5 treatments. However, it is an unproven treatment in the sense that it has not been subjected to randomized clinical trials.  The Medicare carrier in Florida finds at this point that Cyberknife has not shown any appreciable benefit over traditional external beam radiation treatment.

It is important to note that HIFU is the first treatment for prostate cancer to undergo randomized clinical trials in the USA, and to seek FDA approval specifically for prostate cancer treatment. Neither Cyberknife nor proton beam treatments have undergone randomized clinical trials for prostate cancer.

Here is a link to the article in the Jacksonville Times-Union: http://www.jacksonville.com/business/2009-06-22/story/type_of_prostate_cancer_therapy_targeted_for_medicare_cut