Is radiation therapy suitable for you?

You may be approached by radiation therapy if:

Your cancer tumor can not be removed by surgery, since the cancer has spread beyond the prostate.

You do not want to have surgery.

You expect to live longer than cancer can allow.

What are the advantages?

Radiation treatment is effective. It can heal your disease.

Treatment is usually done on an outpatient basis. With brachytherapy, you may have to spend one night in a hospital.

External irradiation does not require surgical intervention and, accordingly, anesthesia.

Radiation therapy does not involve bed rest and recovery, as after surgery.

What are the disadvantages of radiation therapy?

Radiation can affect your sexual function. Over time, it can damage the nerves and arteries that carry blood to the penis. In

, the first months of radiation treatment for most men have no problems with erection and sexual intercourse. But gradually there are difficulties. A survey of 11 studies conducted from 1999 to 2001 showed that 41 to 85% of men experience at least a slight reduction in erection. The likelihood of a violation of this function depends on your age and the amount of radiation received during treatment. The same studies indicate that the percentage reduction in potency in brachytherapy is lower: from 30 to 53%.Usually, the younger you are, the higher your chances of maintaining normal sexual function after treatment.

Some men, during treatment with external radiation, begin problems with the intestines, such as frequent stools, bleeding from the rectum, burning around the anus and the feeling that you need to go to the toilet. After the end of the course of treatment, these symptoms usually disappear. But in three percent of men they can last for a year or require special treatment.

About one third of men, external irradiation causes problems with urination. Studies have shown that less than one percent of men who have been treated with brachytherapy have suffered incontinence for a long time. The most common complications after irradiation is the feeling that you need to urinate and

a burning sensation during urination. The appearance of blood in the urine or leakage of urine is much less common. Less than one percent of men require a surgical operation to restore the functions of the urinary system.

Some statistics for thinking

Impotence 55-67%.

Bleeding from the rectum 5,4%.

»Diarrhea 3.6%.

Hematuria 5.1%.

Urethral stricture 5.4%.Rectal lesions less than 1%.

Urinary incontinence 0.4-4%.