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prostate cancer radiation

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Q: Side Effects of Radiation For Prostate Cancer?
I am doing research for a friend who is considering having elective radiation after a radical prostatectomy. I am hoping for those who have had radiation done for prostate cancer to share their experience about the whole treatment and what were some of the side effects you experienced.

A: There are two types of radiation therapy treatments for Prostate Cancer. I am giving them below with the side effect of these treatments-

1.External beam radiation treatment uses high-powered X-rays to kill cancer cells. This type of radiation is effective at destroying cancerous cells, but it can also scar adjacent healthy tissue.

Side effects -
* Urinary problems. The most common signs and symptoms are urgency to urinate and frequent urination. These problems usually are temporary and gradually diminish in a few weeks after completing treatment. Long-term problems are uncommon.
* Loose stools, rectal bleeding, discomfort during bowel movements or a sense of needing to have a bowel movement (rectal urgency). In some cases these problems persist for months after treatment, but they improve on their own in most men. If you do have long-term rectal symptoms, medications can help. Rarely, men develop persistent bleeding or a rectal ulcer after radiation. Surgery may be necessary to alleviate these problems.
* Sexual side effects. Radiation therapy doesn’t usually cause immediate sexual side effects such as erectile dysfunction, but some men who’ve had the treatment have sexual problems later in life.

2. Radioactive seeds implanted into the prostate have gained popularity in recent years as a treatment for prostate cancer. The implants, also known as brachytherapy, deliver a higher dose of radiation than do external beams, but over a substantially longer period of time. The therapy is generally used in men with smaller or moderate-sized prostates with small and lower grade cancers.

Side effects -
* Urinary problems. The procedure causes urinary signs and symptoms such as frequent, slow and painful urination in nearly all men. You may require medication to treat these signs and symptoms. Some men need medications or the use of intermittent self-catheterization to help them urinate. Urinary symptoms tend to be more severe and longer lasting with seed implants than with external beam radiation.
* Sexual problems. Some men experience erectile dysfunction due to radioactive seed implants.
* Rectal symptoms. Sometimes this treatment causes loose stools, discomfort during bowel movements or other rectal symptoms. However, rectal symptoms from radioactive seed implants are generally less severe than with external beam radiation.-

Q: Final stage of prostate cancer Radiation: Seeds or another 29 sessions of conventional Radiation?

A: I would read the links I provided you to give insight on the good/bad side of the procedure(seeds). I personally don’t know much about prostate cancer, but have a Grandfather who had it, and is now (thank god) clear.

If this is for you or someone close to you, I wish you the best :)
Definitely do some reading and do what you feel is right for you. While 29 sessions might sound bad, maybe it’s better, or vice-versa with the seeds procedure.

Q: How to decide, surgery versus radiation for prostate cancer, which has least side effects?
PSA 6.25 and cancer rated 7

A: Your Age, How fast the PSA got to 6.25 and other factors are involved. My PSA went from 1.5 to 4.5 in 6 months. Biops showed a Gleason of 4+4=8. I opted for surgery only because if they get it all quick it can’t come back. Any other treatment is just that, treatment not removal. My PSA at 6 weeks PostOp was 0. Doctor said it has to stay 0 for 4 years to be considered cancer free. Side effects are different for each man. My surgery was in July 07 and last week I bowled a 283 game with a 707 set. Working full time, and only side effect is wondering what next? You can read a lot here:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ProstateCancerSupport/

Q: I need external beam radiation for prostate cancer will I feel fatigued?
They say there’s less of that than there was a few years ago? 5 weeks 5 days a week.

A: There is a propensity for health professionals to say there is less of everything bad, such as side effects; and more of everything good, such as benefits and healing, due to technology and better skills. So, hope it applies to your prostate radiation too. Different men respond differently and fatigue is always possible. Offset that with B12, man’s formula vitamins, and exercise.

Q: What would be a sucessfull PSA reduction after radiation treatment for Prostate Cancer?
72 Year old male with a psa of 7.3. If he were to recieve radiation, what would be a great radiation result if you are only measuring the PSA score?

A: For a man of 72 then a PSA count of up to 4 or 5 can be normal with no cancer. It is likely that after radiation therapy the PSA will go below that level, possibly to less than 1.
The key thing is how long it stays that low and whether alternative (probably hormone) therapy is necessary to keep levels down. With a PSA of 7.3 the cancer is likely to be confined to the prostate and therefore far easier to control. Many more people die with prostate cancer than from it. Think of it like a disease that needs to be controlled like diabetes.
Good luck!

Q: If are being treated for prostate cancer with radiation can you still have sex?

A: Well George, Can you handle an answer from a guy who actually HAS prostate cancer instead of all these yahoos that are guessing or just trying to be smart a..es? I have prostate cancer and yes you can have sex while taking radiation but I would be amazed if you felt like it. I certainly wasn’t in any shape to do so. There IS a treatment when you are told to avoid close contact with your partner due to radiation and that is for several weeks after Prostate Seed Implantation (I had it and I am not even going to TRY to spell the medical term for the therapy!). For several weeks after the implant you are radioactive and are told to stay away -across the room – from pregnant women and not to hold babies on your lap. This is important to a lot of patients undergoing this treatment because (as a lot of the jerks that have posted here would know nothing of) most of the patients are of an age to have adult daughters and grandchildren. The seed implant procedure was followed, in my case, with external beam radiation which is similar to having a super x-ray of the cancer for 21 days straight. The seed implant had already messed me up pretty good and the external beam finished the job. Like I said, having sex became a bit problematic.

P.S. I don’t light up like a fire fly at night and my kids and grandkids aren’t glowing in the dark after giving me a hug.

Additional p.s. The site reccomended by justme talks about more up-to-date procedures since I had my treatment. I wish docs had been using it when I was treated!

Q: About to start Prostate cancer Radiation. How might it effect your life . eg. work, sex , what ever,?

A: Briefly answering your question:
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. There are 2 types of radiation therapy used for prostate cancer:

External beam: radiation beamed from a machine outside the body
Internal: radiation emitted by tiny radioactive seeds implanted in the prostate gland
During external radiation, the primary target is the prostate gland itself. Areas around the prostate and the pelvis can also be exposed to varying doses of radiation. Side effects may include diarrhea, frequent and painful urination, rectal irritation or bleeding, and impotence.

With internal radiation, tiny radioactive seeds or implants are placed directly into the prostate gland to kill cancerous cells. This is also known as interstitial implantation or brachytherapy.

normal work, sex may/ay not be affected, you will lead a normal life.

Q: What can you get from receiving radiation for prostate cancer? Will that kind weaken the immune system?

A: The immune system is not concentrated in the prostate/pelvis. It is all over your body in the form of blood cells, lymph nodes, and spleen. Given that radiation is a focal treatment (and not one that affects the whole body per se), there is really minimal change to the immune system while undergoing prostate radiation. Having said that, changes that happen in the marrow of the pelvis and around the prostate DO affect the immune system- but would not necessarily have to weaken it; those changes could cause it to react as it normally would. When one gets a virus, it “affects” the immune system, but does not necessarily weaken it. Hope that makes sense. Practically speaking, serious infections are uncommon while undergoing this therapy…

Blessings

Q: I have a question about radiation pellets for prostate cancer?
I have a buddy who is about to undergo the procedure. Is there anyone out there who has had it that he can talk to?

A: when one has radioactive seed implantation they cannot be around pregnant ladies and children. It is a difficult situation, in elevators in public transportation, buses, planes at ball games and such. He cannot hold a child. If a spouse or girlfriend is sleeping in the same bed as that person, they would be very anxious I am sure.

Q: Can prostate cancer be cured without radiation or surgery? (By holistic medicine, exercise and destressing, et?
My PSA was 3.2, my Gleason score was 6 and my tumor score was T1C. All in my favor. I’m 64 and in great physical shape – except for the prostate cancer. The side effects of the treatment are frightful. I don’t smoke and haven’t for the last 44 years. I hate to surrender “quality of life” merely to gain a few years when I might be killed in a car crash or die from something else anyway. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.

A: The treatment for prostate cancer has been controversial for many years. With most cancers we know if it shows certain characteristics what the best treatment is, but this is not so with prostate cancer and the man’s lifestyle always has to be taken into consideration.

I deal with cancer everyday and attended many meeting s along with the doctors I work with and my ex-husband is a urologist. So I can tell you, we do not know of any holistic ways to treat this. Everything about your cancer is in your favor, except your age, you’re a little young for prostate cancer and this makes deciding on treatment so difficult.

The way I see it, if you decide on watchful waiting you might as well try a holistic approach during this time, as it couldn’t hurt. The only things I know that may be helpful in this regard is there appears to be a link with an increased intake of vitamin A and a decreased intake of vitamin D. Some studies have shown altered estrogen androgen metabolite levels may lead to prostate cancer and exposure to cadmium may also be a risk factor for it.

If you should decide on surgery I would go with a robotic surgery. It is less invasive, has a faster recovery and it is more precise, decreasing the risk for ED.

You should also get another opinion or two to help you decide and I suggest you get one from a teaching facility as they are involved in research and most likely have the equipment to do a robotic surgery. You may also want to consider proton therapy. I have included a link for you to read about it. Best wishes.

http://www.protons.com/proton-therapy/conditions-treated/pelvis.html?utm_source=Internal%2Bsearch&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Internal%2BLink

Q: Any experience out there with radiation seeds as a treatment for prostate cancer?
I have stage 1 cancer, Gleason scale is 6, PSA is 7. I have heard radiation seeds are quite effective with relatively few side effects for a cancer at this stage. any experience with it?

A: My psa was 377 and my gleason was 9 and a high stage 3. I could not use the seeds but did get 8 weeks of radiation. My current psa is .4. My older brother was very much like you in his score. His doctor used the seeds and he is cancer free after his 8 weeks of radiation. He told me he did not have many side effects. There will be some but not usually severe: problems urinating for a while but that resolves itself after a couple of weeks after treatment ends. You may also feel tired and worry a little. Talk with the doctor and I recommend going to a book store and buying a book called prostate cancer for dummies. Sounds silly but you will find a lot of use full information in it. Do not fear the cancer. At your stage there is no reason to not believe that you will be totally cured. By the way, after the radiation is done your first psa tast will not be for about a month. This is to allow the levels of radiation to normalize so as to get the best psa test score. You will be fine. Good luck to you. Remember—no fear.

Q: For a man going through radiation, due to prostate cancer, and has uncontrolable bowels?
Is there some form of diet, so that he doesn’t get untimely urges to go to the bathroom. Any suggestions at all would be helpful. Thanks

A: Check with his physician.

It is likely he can use over-the-counter Immodium AD occasionally to prevent sudden urges.

Q: Radiation treatment for prostate cancer?
I received radiation for 2 months in 2003.Since that time my PSA COUNT is an average of 0.6.
I this within normal limits and is not supposed to drop lower than that after treatment?

A: I’m not sure what your question is, but your PSA is great and “Fer” is no doctor.

Q: How many radiation sessions are the usual for prostate cancer?
I know it varies depending on the patient, but I was wondering it since a person I really care about is going to take just under 40 sessions. He just got a successful radical prostatectomy and no spreading was found during surgery, but the urologist said that radiation therapy was needed to assure no remaining cancerous cells are left. So I also want to know if we must expect the same intensity in the treatment and therefore the same intensity in side effects because of the radiation…

A: External beam radiation is very focused and has few side effects. Thirty or more sessions does not sound unusual. The surgery will have had far more side effects than the radiation therapy. It is an outpatient treatment and doesn’t affect one’s ability to work, walk or drive.

Q: anybody had prostate cancer treated with radiation after years had recurrence of bladder cancer?
both cancers have been only localized, doctors at first didnt know if it was a recurrence of prostate or bladder cancer, they say sometimes radiation causes it thx

A: Hi

Sorry for your recurrence.I got surgery for bladder cancer three years ago. No recurrence. Originally treated injecting bacteria in the bladder for six weeks to target the immune system intensive work the bladder.

Three of my sisters lost their fight with cancer. They went all the way with doctors recommendations (including prohibition use of natural treatments) and nothing. On my personal case, I will use a combination. Do your own search. Is YOUR life, and YOUR body… and you are not a Ginnie pig.

Boost your immune system naturally with (Noni, echinacia,cholostrum,etc) or whatever you prefer. I use 4life Transfer factors (the best of the best in my opinion-boost 427% with only two caps and in just two days). Search and try GRAVIOLA.

Hope this help.

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