Side Effects From Prostate Radiation Treatment

The type and severity of side effects you have with external beam radiation for prostate cancer may depend on the dose and on the amount of healthy tissue that s exposed to the radiation.

Side effects from prostate radiation treatment.

Short term side effects. 15 years after treatment the rates are similar to those who underwent surgery. Patients who receive any type of radiation therapy external beam or brachytherapy to treat their prostate cancer can have side effects. These rates do not appear to be affected in the long term by the use of short term 4 to 6 months hormone therapy but will be affected by the use of long term 18 to 36 months.

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. Below is a list of possible short term side effects. Most side effects are temporary can be controlled and generally improve over time once treatment has ended. Radiation therapy has long been a staple of treatment for many types of cancers.

Short term side effects are ones that start during or shortly after your radiation treatment. When it comes to prostate cancer there are two kinds of radiation treatment. However radiation therapy has a slower delay in erectile function decline than surgery. 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.