Side Effects After Prostate Radiation

Short term side effects of radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

Side effects after prostate radiation.

Late side effects of radiation therapy may be permanent. Patients who receive any type of radiation therapy external beam or brachytherapy to treat their prostate cancer can have side effects. They tend to occur after the treatment and lasts for few days to weeks. Radiation therapy has long been a staple of treatment for many types of cancers.

External beam radiation and. The side effects of radiation therapy depend on the area of the body that receives radiation. Treatments can affect each. To help you understand the safety of this procedure we shall look at both the short and long term side effects resulting from this treatment.

These radiation therapy side effects are mild and tolerable. There is also the risk of long term permanent worsening of urine control but this is not common. Early and late side effects may include. Early side effects happen shortly after you receive radiation therapy.

Doctors will often use external radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients who want to avoid the risks of surgery. When it comes to prostate cancer there are two kinds of radiation treatment. Late side effects can happen months to years after you receive radiation therapy. During and after radiation treatment for prostate cancer there may be diarrhea and or rectal pain irritable bowels incontinence of feces and sometimes bloody stools 2 according to the acs this is more common with older forms of external beam radiation where the source of radiation is placed outside the body.

These short term side effects usually clear up within 1 2 months after completing radiation. Short term complications you may experience some temporary urinary symptoms such as waking up in the night and needing to urinate needing to urinate more often during the day or urgency needing to. Because the prostate is close to several vital structures radiation therapy can disrupt normal urinary bowel and sexual functioning. Below is a list of possible short term side effects.

If you have been able to get erections since the surgery they may become further weakened by the radiation. The side effects of external beam radiation therapy tend to be less severe than the side effects of other prostate cancer treatments. Short term side effects. Short term side effects are ones that start during or shortly after your radiation treatment.