Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy Versus Surgery

Like surgery, radiation therapy is used as a treatment for the early stages of prostate cancer. Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, uses high energy rays to destroy cancer cells. These rays can be deadly to all cells; fortunately, the treatment is precise enough to only destroy the cancerous ones.

For the early stages of prostate cancer, radiation treatment can be used as a substitute for surgery. It must be done with the first sign of a prostate cancer symptom. It may also be used after a surgery to kill cancerous tissues that remain in the area. During the later stages of prostate cancer, radiation treatment is mostly used to facilitate pain relief.

Before beginning treatment, it is vital that you communicate well with your physician. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to voice them. If you are largely in the dark about prostate cancer, take some time to change that. Keeping in touch with your doctor will go a long way in your medical education, which is now of paramount importance.

There are two main types of radiation therapy used to treat prostate cancer. As a patient, you may receive one or both. The side effects stemming from these treatments will depend mostly on type of radiation used and the dosage that you receive. Note that while radiation therapy tends to produce feelings of fatigue for its patients, doctors usually advise that you stay as active as possible, within reason.

The two main types of radiation therapy are internal and external radiation. Internal radiation. Also known as brachytherapy or implant radiation, this procedure uses radioactive material culled from small seeds. Seeds are implanted into the cancerous tissue, where they will give off radiation for months. As the seeds are generally harmless, they do not need to be removed. Because the seeds are a one-time implant, the patient usually does not have to stay in the hospital either.

Internal radiation may have several side effects, such as incontinence. In most cases, however, this problem goes away on its own. There are very few long-term side effects when it comes to internal radiation; in fact, they are quite rare.

External radiation. As the name implies, this procedure uses an external source of radiation, usually a large machine. Unlike in internal radiation, this procedure requires that men go to a hospital or clinic for continuing treatment. Treatment usually lasts for several weeks, with patients trudging to the hospital an average of five times a week. A special type of therapy called conformal radiation therapy can also be applied. This treatment is more precise than other radiation treatments and thus spares healthy tissue.

External radiation has much greater side effects than internal radiation. As in chemotherapy, hair can be permanently lost in the treated area. The skin in the same are may also become dry, red, and tender. Additionally, external radiation has been known to cause problems in the excretory system. Many men are forced to live with altered bowel or urinary patterns after prolonged external radiotherapy.

Both radiation treatments, although useful in curing prostate cancer, can cause impotence. That is the advantag of a surgery. However, internal radiotherapy is much less likely to produce such an effect.

Enter your search terms Submit search form

All information on this site is for informational purposes only
and is not a replacement for medical advise.
Disclaimer Privacy
© prostate-cancer-symptoms.net