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The side effects of external beam
radiation therapy tend to be less severe than the side
effects of other prostate
cancer treatments. Doctors will often use external
radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients who want
to avoid the risks of surgery. Generally, no pain is
associated with external radiation therapy, and the
associated side effects tend not to interfere with daily
life. There is also a lower occurrence of urinary side
effects associated with external radiation therapy.
Severe incontinence occurs in fewer
than 2 percent of men who undergo external radiation
therapy. Temporary incontinence or urinary leakage,
frequency, burning during urination, and difficulty
urinating or urinary retention are associated with external
radiation therapy. Patients may also see blood in their
urine, feces, or semen. These symptoms tend to go away
on their own within a few weeks. Some patients may also
experience acute urinary retention and may require a
Foley
catheter for a few weeks.
Impotence as a side effect varies
greatly, from 25 to 50 percent in men who are under
60. Both impotence and incontinence can worsen over
a period of continued treatment because healthy cells
become less and less able to repair themselves. Penile
shrinkage is also a risk associated with external radiation
therapy. This shrinkage may also be called urethral
stricture, because penile shrinkage is caused by a shrinking
or the urethra.
A physician, however, can “stretch” the
urethra back to its normal size during an outpatient
procedure.
Proctitis
and prostatitis
are also risks of external radiation therapy. The beam
may damage the rectum leading to blood or mucus in the
stool.
Proctitis can be treated with laser
surgery or suppositories and enemas. Prostatitis may
occur in about a third of patients who receive external
radiation treatment for prostate
cancer. Prostatitis may cause the PSA
level to rise; patients, however, should
not be alarmed. A swollen prostate gland, not prostate
cancer, is the cause of the rising PSA level.
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