Two Types Of Radiation Therapy For prostate cancer

Radiation therapy is one of the many treatment options prostate cancer patient has to choose. This is a technique that uses high energy x-rays or any other types or energy. This aims to kill the cancer cells or to keep the cancer cells from growing back.

There are two known types of therapy using radiation which can be used to treat prostate cancer. One is the actual external radiation therapy (XRT) which utilizes a machine or perhaps a medical equipment outside of the entire body and is capable of sending rays. The other one is the internal radiotherapy which uses radioactive substance as with the brachytherapy.

An example of an external radiation therapy may be the IMRT or the Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in which multiple beams coming from a variety of directions are used to focused on the target area- the prostate gland. The doctors were able to adjust the intensity and the strength of the supports based on the computerized program prior to the operation. This is important so that more radiation will blast the actual tumors or the cancer cells and less is delivered to the surrounding organs like bladder and rectum.

In Brachytherapy, some tiny radioactive capsules which they call “seeds” are implanted into the cancerous prostate glands. These seeds will then emit radiation to the surrounding areas aiming to kill all the cancerous tumors. Men that are identified as having prostate cancer at stage T1 or T2 are said to be candidate for this type of treatment.

The oncologist first creates a 3-D grid map area of prostate using TRUS or Transrectal Ultrasound. The pc will then calculates the volume of the gland; determine the number of seed products that will be implanted and also to determine the location of the implantation.

The procedure would consider about 50 to 60 minutes to finish and usually on an hospital basis. The patient is only provided a regional anesthesia before a needle with about One hundred or more rice-sized seeds are inserted to a predetermined area. These seeds contain the radioactive isotopes of palladium 103 and iodine 125 capable of emitting rays for a period of three months. These isotopes will become inert after the three month period.

There are side effects the actual men are suffering when treated with radiation. Impotence as well as urinary problems is the most common ones. Men who went through the radiation therapy have a greater risk of anal cancer and also bladder cancer. A small number of patients who have gone through brachytherapy especially those over the age of 70 will also be noted to have experience erectile dysfunction or incontinence.

With the technology of ours today, time will come the percentage of men will be fully recovered after the rays or other treatment options they gone through. Gather more information through going to http://www.ProstateRadiation.org.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Part 5

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