Side Effects Of External Radiation For Prostate Cancer

Patients who receive any type of radiation therapy external beam or brachytherapy to treat their prostate cancer can have side effects.

Side effects of external radiation for prostate cancer. The side effects of external beam radiation therapy tend to be less severe than the side effects of other prostate cancer treatments. However these radiotherapy side effects are less common and occur only when the radiation damages your body. When it comes to prostate cancer there are two kinds of radiation treatment. 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.

Generally no pain is associated with external radiation therapy and the associated side. External beam radiation therapy with androgen deprivation therapy in which radiation is paired with medications to lower levels of male hormones which can stimulate prostate cancer growth. A machine is used to aim high energy rays or beams from outside the body into the tumor. Short term side effects.

Short term side effects are ones that start during or shortly after your radiation treatment. External beam radiation for prostate cancer kills cancer cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide. 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. The 619 men with unfavorable risk prostate cancer received one of two treatments.

Below is a list of possible short term side effects. External beam radiation and. Radiation technology allows the very careful delivery of external beam radiation therapy. External radiation or external beam radiation is the most common type of radiation therapy used for cancer treatment.

Prostatectomy which is the surgical removal of the prostate.