prostate cancer radiation treatment
prostate cancer radiation treatment questions and answers
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Q: What would be a sucessfull PSA reduction after radiation treatment for Prostate Cancer?
72 Year old male with a psa of 7.3. If he were to recieve radiation, what would be a great radiation result if you are only measuring the PSA score?
A: For a man of 72 then a PSA count of up to 4 or 5 can be normal with no cancer. It is likely that after radiation therapy the PSA will go below that level, possibly to less than 1.
The key thing is how long it stays that low and whether alternative (probably hormone) therapy is necessary to keep levels down. With a PSA of 7.3 the cancer is likely to be confined to the prostate and therefore far easier to control. Many more people die with prostate cancer than from it. Think of it like a disease that needs to be controlled like diabetes.
Good luck!
Q: Men, have you been able to regain a satisfying sex life after radiation treatment for prostate cancer?
A: it is absolutely possible ,
Q: I am looking for info on a radiation treatment for prostate cancer May go by the letters TIFU anyone have any?
A: Here's a cure fpr prostate cancer. Far less painful than radiation.
http://dgwa1.fortunecity.com/body/cancercure-dandelion.htm
Q: What percent of men get prostate cancer? What is the percent breakdown of treatment - surgery vs radiation?
A: In 2004 there were 189,075 cases of prostate cancer in the United States. Men are considered at-risk for the disease once they reach 40 years of age. In 2004 there were 57,170,503 men over 40 in the U.S. according to the American Community Survey. That calculates to 0.003% of the at-risk population.
I was not able to find any statistics on surgery VS. radiation. I have 4 four close family members who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and all received surgery first. One received radiation after surgery because the entire malignancy was not taken care of.
Q: Radiology vs the shots? Someone I know has prostate cancer, and I was wondering which is the better treatment?
This person is 67 years old, overweight, and was diagnosed with prostate cancer about 3 weeks ago. His psi count is 6. My grandfather took the shots and his cancer is gone, and he was 80. For some reason though they want to do radiation treatments. Does anyboby have any input?
A: Depends on the cancer and the patient. Some patients require both chemo and radiation. They have been having good results with radiation treatment for prostate cancer.
The American Cancer Society www.cancer.org can provide current info on treatment options.
Q: What is the treatment for proctitis radiation and chronic cystitis?
After 2,5 years of prostate cancer radiation, I am diagnosed of having both side effects mentioned above. I look for the treatment available
A: i dont know but hope you get well
Q: Side Effects of Radiation For Prostate Cancer?
I am doing research for a friend who is considering having elective radiation after a radical prostatectomy. I am hoping for those who have had radiation done for prostate cancer to share their experience about the whole treatment and what were some of the side effects you experienced.
A: There are two types of radiation therapy treatments for Prostate Cancer. I am giving them below with the side effect of these treatments-
1.External beam radiation treatment uses high-powered X-rays to kill cancer cells. This type of radiation is effective at destroying cancerous cells, but it can also scar adjacent healthy tissue.
Side effects -
* Urinary problems. The most common signs and symptoms are urgency to urinate and frequent urination. These problems usually are temporary and gradually diminish in a few weeks after completing treatment. Long-term problems are uncommon.
* Loose stools, rectal bleeding, discomfort during bowel movements or a sense of needing to have a bowel movement (rectal urgency). In some cases these problems persist for months after treatment, but they improve on their own in most men. If you do have long-term rectal symptoms, medications can help. Rarely, men develop persistent bleeding or a rectal ulcer after radiation. Surgery may be necessary to alleviate these problems.
* Sexual side effects. Radiation therapy doesn't usually cause immediate sexual side effects such as erectile dysfunction, but some men who've had the treatment have sexual problems later in life.
2. Radioactive seeds implanted into the prostate have gained popularity in recent years as a treatment for prostate cancer. The implants, also known as brachytherapy, deliver a higher dose of radiation than do external beams, but over a substantially longer period of time. The therapy is generally used in men with smaller or moderate-sized prostates with small and lower grade cancers.
Side effects -
* Urinary problems. The procedure causes urinary signs and symptoms such as frequent, slow and painful urination in nearly all men. You may require medication to treat these signs and symptoms. Some men need medications or the use of intermittent self-catheterization to help them urinate. Urinary symptoms tend to be more severe and longer lasting with seed implants than with external beam radiation.
* Sexual problems. Some men experience erectile dysfunction due to radioactive seed implants.
* Rectal symptoms. Sometimes this treatment causes loose stools, discomfort during bowel movements or other rectal symptoms. However, rectal symptoms from radioactive seed implants are generally less severe than with external beam radiation.-
Q: does the veterans hospital in pensacola florida have a prostate treatment center ?
i am currently getting treated for prostate cancer with radiation here in tallahassee, am planning on moveing back to pensacola need feedback please..
A: I suggest you call the Pensacola Vet Center at 850-456-5886
Q: Can Prostate cancer come back after 17 years?
My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in '91 and had a radical prostate removal and some radiation treatment. Now after all that time his PSA levels are starting to go up and he has some enlarged lymph nodes around his kidneys.
I've never heard of this type of cancer coming back after so long.
A: it's possible, hope he is getting checked out even if just to put his mind at rest
Q: Can prostate cancer be cured without radiation or surgery? (By holistic medicine, exercise and destressing, et?
My PSA was 3.2, my Gleason score was 6 and my tumor score was T1C. All in my favor. I'm 64 and in great physical shape - except for the prostate cancer. The side effects of the treatment are frightful. I don't smoke and haven't for the last 44 years. I hate to surrender "quality of life" merely to gain a few years when I might be killed in a car crash or die from something else anyway. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.
A: The treatment for prostate cancer has been controversial for many years. With most cancers we know if it shows certain characteristics what the best treatment is, but this is not so with prostate cancer and the man’s lifestyle always has to be taken into consideration.
I deal with cancer everyday and attended many meeting s along with the doctors I work with and my ex-husband is a urologist. So I can tell you, we do not know of any holistic ways to treat this. Everything about your cancer is in your favor, except your age, you’re a little young for prostate cancer and this makes deciding on treatment so difficult.
The way I see it, if you decide on watchful waiting you might as well try a holistic approach during this time, as it couldn’t hurt. The only things I know that may be helpful in this regard is there appears to be a link with an increased intake of vitamin A and a decreased intake of vitamin D. Some studies have shown altered estrogen androgen metabolite levels may lead to prostate cancer and exposure to cadmium may also be a risk factor for it.
If you should decide on surgery I would go with a robotic surgery. It is less invasive, has a faster recovery and it is more precise, decreasing the risk for ED.
You should also get another opinion or two to help you decide and I suggest you get one from a teaching facility as they are involved in research and most likely have the equipment to do a robotic surgery. You may also want to consider proton therapy. I have included a link for you to read about it. Best wishes.
http://www.protons.com/proton-therapy/conditions-treated/pelvis.html?utm_source=Internal%2Bsearch&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Internal%2BLink
Q: What treatment to take? I have Prostate Cancer and I just found out.?
The Prostate can be removed or I can have Radiation. The Cancer is localized to my prostate only. If I have Radiation and the Cancer returns they will not remove my Prostate and if I have my prostate removed and the Cancer returns I can have Radiation. I'm done reproducing as I just turned fifty four. To me it's a no brainer (survival and remove), I still want to be able to have sex with my wife though and there are risks either way. Please advise!
A: I really think that's a medical question for your treating doctors not for the average joes on Answers
Q: Prostate Cancer?
Hi. My father has recently been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, and if I may add is doing quite well. I just want to know how you feel about the disease, what you think of the treatment radiation, and if anyone here or anyone knows people who have Prostate Cancer.
-Cassie <3
A: Like any kinds of cancer, the prognosis depends on the size, location, histologic or tissue type, extent of spread and whether it has already spread to secondary site or not. Low grade and small prostate cancer usually progresses slowly. The doctor may just follow with the blood test (PSA) and only act when the level increases. Then, there are different options depending on your feeling of various potential and real complications of different treatment (surgery, radiation, hormonal, etc.).
Unfortunately some patients have cancer spread to the lymph nodes or bone causing problems and can be fatal.
Q: How many radiation sessions are the usual for prostate cancer?
I know it varies depending on the patient, but I was wondering it since a person I really care about is going to take just under 40 sessions. He just got a successful radical prostatectomy and no spreading was found during surgery, but the urologist said that radiation therapy was needed to assure no remaining cancerous cells are left. So I also want to know if we must expect the same intensity in the treatment and therefore the same intensity in side effects because of the radiation...
A: External beam radiation is very focused and has few side effects. Thirty or more sessions does not sound unusual. The surgery will have had far more side effects than the radiation therapy. It is an outpatient treatment and doesn't affect one's ability to work, walk or drive.
Q: what is the best course of action if you have prostate cancer?
My Dad has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and the doctor gave him 2 options, normal open surgery or robotic surgery. Can anyone tell me which of these is better and why?
Also, he is keen not to have any surgery at all and would prefer to have radiation, the doctor said in a man of his age (55) that radiation might cause problems down the track (he did not specify) and he would not recommend it. Is there anyone who has had radiation treatment for this who would disagree?
He has caught it quite early and it is only in half of his prostate.
A: There is no treatment that has a clear advantage in overall survival when it comes to prostate cancer. Many men choose to not teat it at all for the first few years, as it is usually slow growing and can be managed for long periods of time. However, in someone as young as your dad it should be treated for cure.
If he is going the surgery route I would definitely go robotic. It is more precise, less invasive, has a faster recovery and there is less risk of side effects. To get the biggest advantage from this surgery you wan to make sure the surgeon has several under his belt as this is still fairly new in some areas of the country and it does take some getting used to.
There are several types of radiation. At a minimum I want IMRT. Someone else mentioned Proton Therapy, which many men swear by. It is available at Loma Linda here in southern California. There is also Cyber Knife that was invented at Stanford several years ago. However it is still not available everywhere, but we do have it at several hospitals in southern California.
At the very least he should get a second opinion and it should be from a teaching facility. These hospitals are nearly always designated cancer hospitals, they see the most unusual cases, are involved in research and have the best equipment. Some of the treatment I mentioned requires very expensive equipment, which is often out of reach for many community hospitals. Best wishes to you and your dad.
Q: Prostate cancer - side effects of radiation therapy?
My husbane started radiation therapy today to treat prostate cancer. His doctors have advised him that there will be no side effects apart from perhaps some fatigue towards the end of the course of treatment.
He has a stressful job and is concerned that the therapy may affect his ability to work at some stage.
Has anyone reading this had this treatment? What, if any, side effects did you experience and how were they treated?
He is 60 and the cancer was detected in its very early stages.
A: Everyone responds differently as their bodies are different. However, the doctors probably are your best source for the side effects of his therapy. If he is experiencing fatigue, he should limit the amount of activity outside of work, and rest more on his off work hours.
A lot of people have develop some anemia and other vitamin and mineral deficiency problems during radiation and or chemo. Ask his doctor if taking a multi vitamin/mineral supplement would be beneficial. Fuzzy