Radiotherapy is one of the many treatment options prostate cancer individual has to choose. This is a method that uses high energy x-rays or any other types or energy. It aims to kill the most cancers cells or to keep the most cancers cells from growing back again.
There are two known types of therapy using radiation which may be used to treat prostate cancer. One is the external radiation therapy (XRT) which utilizes a machine or perhaps a medical equipment outside of the entire body and is capable of sending radiation. The other one is the internal radiotherapy which uses radioactive substance as with the brachytherapy.
An example of an external radiation therapy is the IMRT or the Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in which multiple beams coming from a variety of directions are used to focused on the prospective area- the prostate gland. The doctors were able to adjust the strength and the strength of the beams based on the computerized program before the operation. This is important so that more radiation will blast the tumors or the cancer cells and less is delivered to the nearby organs like bladder as well as rectum.
In Brachytherapy, some tiny radioactive capsules which they call “seeds” are implanted into the cancerous prostate glands. These seeds will then give off radiation to the surrounding places aiming to kill all the malignant tumors. Men that are identified as having prostate cancer at stage T1 or T2 have been demonstrated to be candidate for this type of treatment.
The oncologist first results in a 3-D grid map area of prostate using TRUS or Transrectal Ultrasound. The pc will then calculates the volume from the gland; determine the number of seeds that will be implanted and also to figure out the location of the implantation.
The procedure would take about 50 to 60 minutes to finish and usually on an hospital basis. The patient is only given a regional anesthesia prior to a needle with about 100 or more rice-sized seeds are placed to a predetermined area. These seeds contain the radioactive isotopes of palladium 103 as well as iodine 125 capable of emitting radiation for a period of three months. These isotopes will become inert after the three month period.
There are side effects the men are suffering when treated with radiation. Impotence as well as urinary problems is the most common types. Men who went through the radiation therapy have a greater risk of anal cancer and also bladder most cancers. A small number of patients who have gone through brachytherapy especially those over the age of 70 are also 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 radiation or other treatment options they gone through. Gather more information through going to http://www.ProstateRadiation.org.
Tags: external radiation therapy, prostate cancer, two known types of therapy