We were the first cancer center in Oregon offering Calypso® technology for radiation therapy.

Calypso technology, also referred to as GPS for the body, works like a navigation system, constantly tracking the position of the prostate during radiation treatment.   The tiny movements of the prostate gland during treatment – movements too small for you or your doctor to control – are immediately detected by three miniature sensors called Beacon transponders. Your doctor can place these sensors in the prostate during an office visit. When the Calypso system gives a safe electromagnetic signal, the Beacon transponders receive it and signal their position. .

You are not radioactive if you have Calypso Beacons in your prostate, so you do not need to take any precautions when you are with family, pregnant women or small children. You need to take precautions if you have radioactive seed implants in your prostate, but not if you have Beacon implants.

Unlike other image-guided technologies, which only locate the prostate once before treatment starts, the Calypso system tracks your prostate during treatment. If the prostate moves out of position, the system alerts our therapists, who will stop the radiation. Treatment will start again when the prostate is back in position.

The Calypso system allows your doctor to send radiation precisely to the prostate, avoiding radiation to healthy tissue. This can help decrease the effects of radiation on other organs, including the bladder, rectum and organs involved in sexual function.

Since August 2008, we have treated more than 150 patients with the Calypso system. This new treatment has been effective at killing cancer cells, with fewer side effects and less serious side effects compared to traditional radiation.  The best prostate cancer treatment for you will depend on your cancer, your values and priorities and the results doctors expect from treatment. We will work with you to develop an individual plan that meets your needs.