Acute side effects such as prostate swelling cleared up within one to three months, the researchers said.

Researchers will continue following up with the patients, some of whom are now entering their seventh year, Freeman said. Nearly 600 patients are also being studied in multicenter trials sponsored by Accuray, Freeman said.


"We know with prostate cancer, particularly if they have the indolent kind, seven-year results, 10-year results, have more durability," she said.

One effect of these studies, if the results hold, could be convincing payers to more readily reimburse CyberKnife treatments.

Freeman said across the country, Medicare and private insurance companies often don't reimburse the treatment, or only do so conditionally. The cost of the treatment is in the "middle range," Freeman said, slightly more expensive than low-dose brachytherapy, comparable to external beam radiation, but less than proton therapy, usually the priciest.

And greater availability of CyberKnife could increase the menu of options for some patients, where picking a treatment plan will depend on the particulars of the patient's condition and the risks they're comfortable with.

"If they are fortunate enough to have their prostate cancer diagnosed at an early stage, of the many treatments available, they're not going to make a wrong choice," Freeman said.

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