Side Effects Of Treating Prostate Cancer With Radiation

When it comes to prostate cancer there are two kinds of radiation treatment.

Side effects of treating prostate cancer with radiation.

Short term side effects are ones that start during or shortly after your radiation treatment. These rates do not appear to be affected in the long term by the use of short term 4 to 6 months hormone therapy but will be affected by the use of long term 18 to 36 months. Depending on the stage of the prostate cancer and other factors radiation therapy might be used. 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 of radiation therapy will depend mainly on the size of the area being treated the specific area or organs being treated the total dose of radiation the type of radiation therapy and the treatment schedule. The type and severity of side effects you have with external beam radiation for prostate cancer may depend on the dose and on the amount of healthy tissue that s exposed to the radiation. Patients who receive any type of radiation therapy external beam or brachytherapy to treat their prostate cancer can have side effects. Radiation therapy also called x ray therapy uses high levels of radiation to kill prostate cancer cells or keep them from growing and dividing while minimizing damage to healthy cells.

Radiation therapy has long been a staple of treatment for many types of cancers. Below is a list of possible short term side effects. However these radiotherapy side effects are less common and occur only when the radiation damages your body. Some common side effects of radiation therapy used for prostate cancer are.

Radiation therapy uses high energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. External beam radiation and. 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.