Urinary symptoms are the most common.
Side effects of radiation pellets for prostate cancer.
Find out when doctors recommend radiation therapy for prostate cancer how the treatments work and what the side effects can be.
As the first treatment for cancer that is still just in the prostate gland and is low grade cure rates for men with these types of cancers are about the same as those for men treated with radical prostatectomy.
When it comes to treatment for prostate cancer men now have several good options advances in surgery radiation and endocrine therapy have greatly improved the prognosis for patients with this disease yet the many different choices including the various types of radiation therapy can be hard to sort out.
Webmd describes how radioactive seed implants a form of radiation therapy called brachytherapy is used to treat prostate cancer.
Some side effects might show up quickly but others might not show up until 1 to 2 years after treatment.
It delivers radiation from small radioactive seeds or pellets.
Internal radiation therapy irt or brachytherapy involves placing radioactive pellets inside the body on the prostate gland.
The pellets are around the size of a grain of rice according to.
To help make sense of the options we spoke with michael zelefsky vice chair of.
Radiation therapy uses high energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells.
These include frequent urination and a need to get to the bathroom quickly.
Short term complications you may experience some temporary urinary symptoms such as waking up in the night and needing to urinate needing to urinate more often during the day or urgency needing to.
Side effects of radioactive seed implants.
Learn about the procedure side effects and risks.
Webmd explains the use of radiation therapy for prostate cancer including internal and external radiation therapy how radiation therapy is performed side effects risks and more.
Long term side effects of radiation therapy for prostate cancer studies show that over time men who have undergone this procedure tend to develop long term side effects.
Side effects depend on where the radiation is aimed.
However these radiotherapy side effects are less common and occur only when the radiation damages your body.