| The majority of men will develop an enlarged | | | | and many men are turning to radiation treatment. |
| prostate sometime in their lifetime. The symptoms | | | | Radiation therapy works by killing the cancer cells and |
| include: difficulting in starting urination, weak flow of | | | | not killing the adjacent healthy cells. The two most |
| urination, need to urinate frequently. | | | | common methods for radiation therapy include seed |
| Men that suffer from these symptoms should seek | | | | therapy and external beam radiation therapy. |
| medical advice to ensure that it only an enlarged | | | | Seed therapy involves implanting a small amount (a |
| prostate that is causing the problem, and not | | | | seed) of radioactive material in the prostate. The |
| prostate cancer. | | | | radioactive material will last about two years, in which |
| Prostate cancer is the second largest cause of | | | | time the cancerous cells have been killed. |
| cancer deaths among men, second only to lung | | | | External Beam radiation therapy is a painless, out |
| cancer. One of the problems with prostate cancer, is | | | | patient procedure where a beam is aimed at the |
| that the symptoms typically do not show up in the | | | | affected areas. If the area has spread, the radiation |
| early stages of the disease, and when they do | | | | can be aimed at it as well. The treatment takes place |
| manifest themselves, it is often in the late stages of | | | | five days a week over a seven week period. |
| the disease and makes it difficult to treat. | | | | The side effects of prostrate cancer radiation |
| The main symptoms of prostate cancer include the | | | | treatment include incontinence, impotence, and |
| same symptoms as an enlarged prostate, but the | | | | fatigue. Not all patients suffer from these side |
| advanced stages also include: Pain in back, hips and | | | | effects. |
| thighs; unexplained weight loss; feeling of tiredness. | | | | Treatment for the early stages of prostate cancer is |
| Most prostate cancers are treated by surgery or | | | | usually successful. However, if the prostate cancer is |
| radiation therapy. At the present time, there is not a | | | | not identified in its early stages, then the success |
| good chemotherapy option for the early stages of | | | | rate drops dramatically. This is why all men over the |
| prostate cancer. Surgery is the most common | | | | age of 50 should have a yearly check up to identify |
| method of treating the early stages of prostate | | | | prostrate cancer early. |
| cancer. But there are risks with any type of surgery, | | | | |