radiation prostate cancer

radiation prostate cancer questions and answers

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Q: I need external beam radiation for prostate cancer will I feel fatigued?
They say there's less of that than there was a few years ago? 5 weeks 5 days a week.

A: There is a propensity for health professionals to say there is less of everything bad, such as side effects; and more of everything good, such as benefits and healing, due to technology and better skills. So, hope it applies to your prostate radiation too. Different men respond differently and fatigue is always possible. Offset that with B12, man's formula vitamins, and exercise.

Q: What can you get from receiving radiation for prostate cancer? Will that kind weaken the immune system?


A: The immune system is not concentrated in the prostate/pelvis. It is all over your body in the form of blood cells, lymph nodes, and spleen. Given that radiation is a focal treatment (and not one that affects the whole body per se), there is really minimal change to the immune system while undergoing prostate radiation. Having said that, changes that happen in the marrow of the pelvis and around the prostate DO affect the immune system- but would not necessarily have to weaken it; those changes could cause it to react as it normally would. When one gets a virus, it "affects" the immune system, but does not necessarily weaken it. Hope that makes sense. Practically speaking, serious infections are uncommon while undergoing this therapy... Blessings

Q: I have a question about radiation pellets for prostate cancer?
I have a buddy who is about to undergo the procedure. Is there anyone out there who has had it that he can talk to?

A: when one has radioactive seed implantation they cannot be around pregnant ladies and children. It is a difficult situation, in elevators in public transportation, buses, planes at ball games and such. He cannot hold a child. If a spouse or girlfriend is sleeping in the same bed as that person, they would be very anxious I am sure.

Q: How will the situation at Chalk River affect a person scheduled to have radiation therapy for prostate cancer?


A: Hello. Good question. The Chalk River problem really only affects the production of specific radio-isotopes which happen to be those used mostly in diagnostic tests, but less commonly in treatment. (One exception to this might be radioactive thyroid treatments or radio-labelled immuno-isotopes, but these are less common than the diagnostic scans.) In particular, for those in oncology (as I am) bone scans, MUGA scans, and thyroid scans are all affected. For a person who has already been fully assessed and is planned for radiation treatment this is irrelevant. Radiation treatments will not be affected as they (almost always) use linear accelerators to produce their radiation and not radio-isotopes. In short, radiation treatments will continue as normal. Prostate cancer patients who may be affected are those who are more recently diagnosed but have not yet had all the necessary tests. In particular those patients who would normally require a bone scan prior to treatment. Note that this is not most prostate cancer patients who are now low-risk patients who do not require a bone scan. Higher risk/more aggressive disease however where getting a scan remains important to decide what the best treatment is will be forced to decide whether to assume the scan will be negative and treat accordingly or wait into the new year when we hope that a new source of isotopes will be found and perform the bone scan then. Hope this helps.

Q: For a man going through radiation, due to prostate cancer, and has uncontrolable bowels?
Is there some form of diet, so that he doesn't get untimely urges to go to the bathroom. Any suggestions at all would be helpful. Thanks

A: Check with his physician. It is likely he can use over-the-counter Immodium AD occasionally to prevent sudden urges.

Q: If are being treated for prostate cancer with radiation can you still have sex?


A: Well George, Can you handle an answer from a guy who actually HAS prostate cancer instead of all these yahoos that are guessing or just trying to be smart a..es? I have prostate cancer and yes you can have sex while taking radiation but I would be amazed if you felt like it. I certainly wasn't in any shape to do so. There IS a treatment when you are told to avoid close contact with your partner due to radiation and that is for several weeks after Prostate Seed Implantation (I had it and I am not even going to TRY to spell the medical term for the therapy!). For several weeks after the implant you are radioactive and are told to stay away -across the room - from pregnant women and not to hold babies on your lap. This is important to a lot of patients undergoing this treatment because (as a lot of the jerks that have posted here would know nothing of) most of the patients are of an age to have adult daughters and grandchildren. The seed implant procedure was followed, in my case, with external beam radiation which is similar to having a super x-ray of the cancer for 21 days straight. The seed implant had already messed me up pretty good and the external beam finished the job. Like I said, having sex became a bit problematic. P.S. I don't light up like a fire fly at night and my kids and grandkids aren't glowing in the dark after giving me a hug. Additional p.s. The site reccomended by justme talks about more up-to-date procedures since I had my treatment. I wish docs had been using it when I was treated!

Q: prostate cancer- should i choose radiation therapy, or go for removal of the prostate?
I am 61 years old and recently diagnosed with low grade prostate cancer. I have to decide on radiation therapy or complete removal of the prostate. I would like to hear from anyone who can shed some light on this for me. I am leaning toward radiation, but need to know if this therapy makes people sick. All responses will be much appreciated. The "seeds" therapy is not an option for me, due to the size of my prostate. I would like to hear from all.

A: Choose neither. Go for alternative methods which are more successful and less painful. Please spend time reading the following page in detail which will explain why. It has a specific section on radation. Cancer http://dgwa1.fortunecity.com/body/cancer.html

Q: My friend had radiation for prostate cancer, can he produce active sperm? Should I use birth control?


A: Radiation doesn't necessarily make you sterile... it could reduce his sperm count for sure.... it all depends on when his last treatment was. I would suggest using birth control for the reasons listed above, because the few 'swimmers' that are left could lead to a baby with serious birth defects.

Q: About to start Prostate cancer Radiation. How might it effect your life . eg. work, sex , what ever,?


A: Briefly answering your question: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. There are 2 types of radiation therapy used for prostate cancer: External beam: radiation beamed from a machine outside the body Internal: radiation emitted by tiny radioactive seeds implanted in the prostate gland During external radiation, the primary target is the prostate gland itself. Areas around the prostate and the pelvis can also be exposed to varying doses of radiation. Side effects may include diarrhea, frequent and painful urination, rectal irritation or bleeding, and impotence. With internal radiation, tiny radioactive seeds or implants are placed directly into the prostate gland to kill cancerous cells. This is also known as interstitial implantation or brachytherapy. normal work, sex may/ay not be affected, you will lead a normal life.

Q: I had successful radiation for prostate cancer .Now I have rectal bleeding.I have argon gas cauterization done?
Can't I find someone to do LASER ? It has gone on too long. HELP!

A: Well Warren, I think that there are a lot of people who could have done it but they were shot by the politically incorrect military who were told by people like you to shoot first and ask questions later. Love and blessings Don

Q: Anyone with severe side effects after radioactive seed implants 4 prostate cancer like vesiculorectal fistula?
My father was overtreated with radiation for prostate cancer and has suffered some serious side effects. The latest is a large defect in the inner wall of the rectum which connects to the bladder and continuously drains urine. Anyone with similar problems of urinary incontinence and or suggestions? This is a sensitive issue,please be empathetic.

A: 5 years ago I had seed implants for prostate cancer and only someone like you or your dad would believe the side effects I have experienced! There are doctors that occaisionally visit this site and they will be quick to say that the medical literature doesn't support my blaming the seeds and the follow-up external beam radiation I was treated with for these side effects, HOWEVER: Before my treatments NONE of these conditions existed and withing 6 months of the treatments I developed: 1. A weight gain of over 70 pounds which I think was caused by the severe edema in both legs and feet I developed after the seed implants, which in turn may have caused - 2 Very painful neuropathy in both legs and feet AND: 3. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in both legs with a clot that made it to my lung (pulmonary embolism) 4. Total incontinence ( I can't start it, stop it and I never know when I am going to excrete urine, so I wear Depends 24/7) and have a permanent supra pubic catheter with collection bag (3 years now). The weight gain which I have been able to shed only 40 pounds of, I believe led to my diagnosis of type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes several months ago. The weight gain also exacerbated my already existing arthritis in my knees and lower back plus the pubic catheter gives me a permanent "catheter infection" making surgery on my knees a no can do according to the orthopaedic surgeon. The prostate never healed after the initial radiation procedures and the several subsequent procedures that were undertaken to try to fix the damage may have made the problems worse. I have sometimes scary episodes of blood in the catheter. There is also the discomfort of the :diapers" and the at least once every six weeks changing of the catheter. End result of all this? I am rated 100% disabled and use a wheel chair. When the cancer was diagnosed I was phsyically able to do most anything within reason for a 60 year old. My brother, who is 5 years older than me, had the same treatments performed at Johns Hopkins in Maryland and he is playing golf, walking 18 holes, three or four time a week! Life is still good and I am doing my darndest to keep going. I have two new grand kids and a wonderful bunch of caring family and friends that make life worth while. But I have to admit, I never would have dreamed 5 years ago that I would be so excited about having a wheel chair lift mounted on the back of my car! My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your dad. I know some of what you are going through and I sincerely hope you both are getting through it. It sounds to me as if your dad and me have two very important things in common - we are both still alive and we both have caring family. This was very long and I hope there aren't too many errors.

Q: prostate cancer radiation therapy is about to start. Does anyone have any good or bad to say about it .?


A: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Radiation_Therapy_36.asp?sitearea= http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3213.htm http://www.prostateinfo.com/patients/treatment/radiation.asp I found these links that have plenty of information for you to look at. Hope they help. Good Luck.

Q: can radiation for prostate cancer cause cancer later on in life in organs close to prostate?


A: According to my father's oncologist: Radiation does increase the chance of secondary cancers in the surrounding areas. I believe specificly, colon, small intestine, andI think the other one was kidney or bladder. Although cause and effect are hard to prove- how do would you know it was the radiation that caused it and not something else? Eventhough my dad was told this, he is now 8 years post-op and is has been in remission ever since. I wish you luck.

Q: Is there an Alternative method to Radiation or Operation in treating Prostate Cancer?


A: A lot of that answer really depends on how far along the cancer is. I would personally recommend consulting a good natural doctor so they can look at your specific situation. I can recommend several herbs that are good for Prostate health, but if you've already got full-blown cancer, they likely won't give enough nourishment to overcome it. I know there are lifestyle changes and treatments that natural doctors can administer (not the ones that were mentioned [bashed] by the first two answers, as those aren't intended to cure cancer). Make sure you also do your due diligence and do your homework on any method that's recommended, though... when it comes to cancer, there are a LOT of ideas out there and no one answer is better than all the rest. Good luck with everything!

Q: anybody had prostate cancer treated with radiation after years had recurrence of bladder cancer?
both cancers have been only localized, doctors at first didnt know if it was a recurrence of prostate or bladder cancer, they say sometimes radiation causes it thx

A: Hi Sorry for your recurrence.I got surgery for bladder cancer three years ago. No recurrence. Originally treated injecting bacteria in the bladder for six weeks to target the immune system intensive work the bladder. Three of my sisters lost their fight with cancer. They went all the way with doctors recommendations (including prohibition use of natural treatments) and nothing. On my personal case, I will use a combination. Do your own search. Is YOUR life, and YOUR body... and you are not a Ginnie pig. Boost your immune system naturally with (Noni, echinacia,cholostrum,etc) or whatever you prefer. I use 4life Transfer factors (the best of the best in my opinion-boost 427% with only two caps and in just two days). Search and try GRAVIOLA. Hope this help.