radiation therapy in prostate cancer treatment

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Radiation Therapy

In prostate cancer treatment, radiation therapy targets high-energy rays or particles in order to kill cancer cells.

Radiation could be used as the initial treatment for low-grade cancer or for advanced cancer that has only spread to nearby tissue. This kind of therapy could also be used if the cancer is not completely removed or is recurrent after surgery. Radiation may also be used to reduce the size of tumors in case of more advanced cancers.

There are two main types of radiation therapy used: external beam radiation (EBRT) and internal radiation (brachytherapy), both appearing as good methods to fight prostate cancer without pain.

cancer

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)

This method focuses the prostate gland from a x-ray source external of the body. Before starting the treatment is necessary the exact location of prostate gland in order to guide the maximum radiation in the right area. Each session lasts only few minutes, 5 days per week, over a period of 7 to 9 weeks.

Possible EBRT side effects

Newer EBRT techniques decrease the radiation exposure, allow doctors to be more accurate and appear to offer better chances of increasing the success rate and reducing side effects.

Bowell problems You may have diarrhea, sometimes with blood in the stool, rectal leakage, and an irritated large intestine. Most of these problems go away over time.

Bladder problems The need to urinate often, a burning sensation while urinating and blood in your urine will go away once treatment is over.

Urinary incontinence: Less common than after surgery overall, incontinence goes up each year for several years after treatment.

Impotence: Different from surgery, it usually does not occur right after radiation therapy but slowly develops over a year or more. About 3 out of 4 men were impotent within 5 years of having old EBRT procedure. It's not clear if these figures will apply to newer radiation methods as well.

Lymphedema: Fluid buildup in legs or genitals is possible if the lymph nodes receive radiation.

Feeling tired: Possible caused tiredness disappear until a few months after treatment stops.

Brachytherapy (Internal Radiation Therapy)

Also called seed implantation or interstitial radiation therapy Brachytherapy is the use of small radioactive "seeds," each about the size of a grain of rice, that are placed directly into prostate. Brachytherapy is generally used only in men with early stage prostate cancer that is slow growing

Brachytherapy may not be as effective in men with large prostate glands because they need too many seeds. The risk of urinary side effects may be higher in men with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or for those who already have urinary problems.

Possible risks and side effects of brachytherapy

The small implanted seeds will give off small amounts of radiation for several weeks, so your doctor may advise you to stay away from pregnant women and small children or wearing a condom during sex. You may also be asked to strain your urine for the first week as some of the seeds may move (migrate). There are very rare reports of the seeds moving through the bloodstream to other parts of the body but this doesn't seem to cause any ill effects.

Like EBRT, brachytherapy can also cause impotence, urinary problems, and bowel problems.

Bowel problems: Significant long-term bowel problems occur in less than 5% of patients.

Urinary problems: Despite is not a common side effect, frequent urination caused by irritation of the urethra may persist in about 1 out of 3 patients who have brachytherapy

Impotence: Erectile problems may be less likely to develop after brachytherapy, but other studies have found that the impotence rates were no lower than with EBRT or surgery.

Latest News

23. Radiation treatment for cancer after radical prostatectomy linked with increased survival
Preliminary findings indicate that for men who underwent radical prostatectomy, radiation treatment after prostate cancer recurrence was associated with an increase in prostate cancer-related survival.
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