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Cancer Information Tips :: Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment
Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment: A Guide to Radiation Treatment for Prostate Cancer
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There is no single form of prostate cancer radiation treatment. The type of treatment used, the dose and the frequency all depend on how far advanced the disease is, the health of the patient and how far the cancer itself has spread.
To learn more about radiation therapy and exactly how it is used to treat prostate cancer, keep reading.
External Beam Radiation Treatments
External beam radiation therapy is the most common type of prostate cancer radiation treatment. Before the treatment is started, doctors use MRI and CT scans to find and map out the exact location of the tumor cells.
Once the tumor cells are mapped out, oncologists can send the highest doses of radiation directly to the gland's cancer cells. With intensity modulated radiation therapy, oncologists can also target specific cells while modulating the radiation beam to send lower doses to the more sensitive tissue around the rectal tissue or bladder.
This form of treatment is popular because it can be highly focused and targeted, affecting the cancer cells predominantly.
Typically, treatments last approximately seven to eight weeks and are conducted about five days per week.
Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy works by inserting small metal pellets into the prostate with needles. These pellets contain either radioactive palladium or iodine. Like external beam radiation treatments, the area is thoroughly mapped to ensure the pellets are inserted into the precise location.
Over the next few months, the pellets release radiation and kill the surrounding cancer cells. After a year, the radioactive particles degrade and the remaining pellets are harmless.
This form of treatment is gaining in popularity as it does not require daily outpatient visits for ongoing treatments.
Radiation Treatments for Recurrent or Advanced Prostate Cancer
Approximately one third of men who are cured of prostate cancer will relapse within five years – meaning the cancer will come back. For men who had their prostates removed, radiation beam therapy is often used to treat the surrounding area, eradicating any remaining cancerous prostate cells.
Brachytherapy can also be used to control tumors, keeping them minimal and preventing the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. For men who have seen their cancer spread, other courses of treatment are often necessary and include chemotherapy and other forms of radiation treatment.
Other Forms of Treatment
In addition to prostate cancer radiation treatment, some patients opt for other treatments like
- active surveillance – simply keeping an eye on the development and spread of cancer cells
- prostatectomy – surgical removal of the prostate
- hormone therapy – a drug-based control treatment
- chemotherapy
- chryotherapy – freezing of the prostate and the prostate cells
- high intensity focused ultrasound – where the prostate cells are essentially heated to death
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CancerInfoTips.com :: Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment