External Radiation Therapy Prostate Cancer Side Effects

Radiotherapy to the prostate can cause some side effects such as emptying your bowels diarrhoea and passing wee urine more often. Long term side effects of external radiotherapy.

Pdf Effects Of Interruptions Of External Beam Radiation Therapy
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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.

External radiation therapy prostate cancer side effects. The side effects of external beam radiation therapy tend to be less severe than the side effects of other prostate cancer treatmentsdoctors will often use external radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients who want to avoid the risks of surgery. During and after radiation treatment for prostate cancer there may be diarrhea andor rectal pain irritable bowels incontinence of feces and sometimes bloody stools 2according to the acs this is more common with older forms of external beam radiation where the source of radiation is placed outside the body. Side effects tend to start a week after the radiotherapy begins.

External beam radiation for prostate cancer kills cancer cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide. Most side effects gradually go away in the weeks or months after treatment. Some common side effects of radiation therapy used for prostate cancer are.

As the first treatment for cancer that is still just in the prostate gland and is low gradecure rates for men with these types of cancers are about the same as those for men treated with radical prostatectomy. Radiation therapy uses high energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. However these radiotherapy side effects are less common and occur only when the radiation damages your body.

External radiation or external beam radiation is the most common type of radiation therapy used for cancer treatment. Side effects of external radiotherapy. They gradually get worse during the treatment and for a couple of weeks after the treatment ends.

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. A machine is used to aim high energy rays or beams from outside the body into the tumor. External beam radiation therapy side effects.

Healthy cells in the beams path also are affected by external beam radiation therapy resulting in side effects. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have any of these problems they can help you with them. Depending on the stage of the prostate cancer and other factors radiation therapy might be used.

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. You might have long term side effects after having external radiotherapy for prostate cancer such as erection problems impotence.

Men With Low And Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer Can Safely
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