| Radiation therapy, also commonly known as | | | | Having internal radiotherapy as a prostate cancer |
| radiotherapy, is the most frequently prescribed | | | | treatment will mean you have to undergo keyhole |
| prostate cancer treatment. It is designed to kill off | | | | surgery however this is a one-time procedure and will |
| your cancerous cells with high energy radiation beams | | | | only entail a short stay in hospital. Because of the |
| however even with the accurateness of the process | | | | relative expense of this procedure, it is only used in |
| today some normal body cells are inevitably also killed | | | | cases where cure is still a viable outcome i.e. where |
| during radiotherapy sessions. This accounts for any | | | | the cancer is still confined to the prostate and has |
| side effects you may suffer from. | | | | not yet spread to other sites in the body. |
| Radiotherapy as a prostate cancer treatment can be | | | | External radiation is the more commonly used |
| used for all stages of the disease. If you are | | | | prostate cancer treatment. It will involve you |
| diagnosed as having early stage prostate cancer then | | | | travelling to the hospital on average five times per |
| radiotherapy can often cure the disease without the | | | | week and spending time underneath the radiation |
| need for surgery. Later stage cancers may require | | | | machine. In this case the radiation beam penetrates |
| surgery followed by a course of radiotherapy and in | | | | through the skin, muscle and fat before it reaches |
| terminal cases radiotherapy can still be used to relieve | | | | the cancerous tissue of the prostate and so many |
| the pain associated with the disease. | | | | more normal body cells are damaged. Thus with this |
| There are two main ways in which radiation can be | | | | form of treatment you will often suffer with more |
| used as a prostate cancer treatment; internally and | | | | severe and varied side effects than with the |
| externally. The type of radiotherapy you receive will | | | | previous option. |
| depend on your circumstances and the extent of | | | | With regards to the skin you may lose some of the |
| your cancer. For more information about the | | | | pubic hair permanently and the area may become a |
| treatments and how they work you should speak to | | | | little sore and dry however this is a small price to pay |
| your oncologist as they will be able to give you much | | | | considering the potential outcome. Internally, you |
| more detailed information than is given here. | | | | might suffer with incontinence, urinary and bowel |
| The prostate cancer treatment known as | | | | discomfort and some degree of impotence as the |
| brachytherapy, or internal radiation, works by | | | | tissues around the prostate gland are affected. |
| implanting microbeads of radioactive material directly | | | | Thankfully, advancements are continually being made |
| into your cancerous tissue. These microbeads act to | | | | that mean fewer normal body cells are damaged and |
| kill the cancerous cells in the immediate vicinity and | | | | so the side effects described may be minimal in your |
| only a very small number of normal body cells also | | | | case. |
| become damaged. This will lead to you suffering from | | | | Radiation therapy is a very effective prostate cancer |
| minor side effects such as urinary leakage and | | | | treatment and although it can be gruelling and cause |
| occasionally penile dysfunction however in some | | | | you to feel fatigued a lot of the time, it is well worth |
| cases these are almost non-existent. | | | | pursuing as a treatment. |