HealthWatch (WFRV) For years surgery and radiation therapy have been the most common treatments for those diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer, but for many patients they don't work because the cancer has spread.  Now an innovative therapy could give men new hope. 

When this grandfather of ten found out he had prostate cancer, he knew one thing, "at that point I had a decision to make. What was I going to do about it?" Charles King told Ivanhoe.

Charles King enrolled in a clinical trial that could revolutionize the way prostate cancer is treated.

"This is big stuff. This is very big," Mark K. Buyyounouski, MD, MS, at Fox Chase Cancer Center, told Ivanhoe.

Dr.  Mark Buyyounouski says traditional therapies don't address the risk of the cancer spreading throughout the body.

"We know like weeds in a garden if there are one or two cells that have escaped, they could come back years from now," Dr. Buyyounouski said.

That's where ProstAtak comes in. The vaccine therapy is injected into the prostate, where it infects cancer cells, and together with radiation, stimulates the patient's own immune system to rid the body of cancer.

"It's an entirely different way to treat prostate cancer," Dr. Buyyounouski explained.

Preliminary study results show ProstAtak is safe and effective in killing prostate cancer, dropping tumor recurrence from 30 percent to less than 10 percent. Charles hopes it works for him. In the meantime, he's not wasting any time.

"Play with those grandkids, I mean, they're our, they're our world and our life," Kind said.

ProstAtak is designed for men in the early stages of prostate cancer. It's ideal for patients with intermediate or high risk prostate cancer who are considering radiation therapy. Trials are going on right now. For more information about how to participate, call 215-728-5312.