| Most cancers are treated medically with | | | | though. |
| surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. | | | | |
| Currently, there isn't a good chemotherapy | | | | Side effects of radiation treatment for |
| option for prostate cancer in the early | | | | prostate cancer include incontinence, |
| stages, which leaves surgery or radiation | | | | impotence and fatigue. Not everyone |
| treatment for prostate cancer. | | | | experiences these side effects. |
| | | | |
| If the surgeon gets the entire tumor, surgery | | | | The other type of radiation treatment for |
| is a 100% cure. It does require a hospital | | | | prostate cancer is seed therapy, or |
| stay and wearing a catheter for a while. | | | | brachytherapy. Small seeds of radioactive |
| There are risks with any surgery, and one | | | | iodine or palladium are placed inside the |
| risk with prostate surgery is impotence | | | | prostate gland, where they emit radiation |
| | | | that kills the tumor cells. The radiation in |
| There are two types of radiation treatment | | | | each implant lasts about two years, which is |
| for prostate cancer: seed therapy and | | | | long enough to kill the cancer cells. |
| external beam radiation therapy. Radiation | | | | |
| therapy works by killing the cancer cells. | | | | Seed therapy has about the same cure rate and |
| The goal is to kill all the cancer cells, but | | | | side effects as external radiation treatment |
| not any healthy cells. | | | | for prostate cancer. Seed therapy is only |
| | | | used for tumors that have not metastasized |
| The first type of radiation treatment for | | | | outside the prostate. The initial seed |
| prostate cancer is external radiation | | | | implantation causes some discomfort, but the |
| treatment. Usually, the man receives five | | | | patient can usually return to his usual |
| treatments a week for seven weeks. If the | | | | routine in a day or two. |
| cancer has spread, radiation can be aimed at | | | | |
| those areas, too. External radiation is | | | | Radiation treatment for prostate cancer is |
| painless, doesn't require any anesthesia and | | | | successful when the cancer is diagnosed |
| only takes a few minutes each time. It does | | | | early. Many men prefer it to surgery because |
| mean a daily trip to a treatment facility, | | | | it is less invasive. |