Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment
There are many options used to treat prostrate cancer which are effective. Surgery is the usual choice when a cancerous tumor has been discovered in the prostate gland. Radiation therapy can be used before the surgery to shrink the tumor or after the surgery to kill any cancer cells that were missed during the operation, or in case the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Radiation treatment for prostate cancer utilizes high-energy x-rays to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. Radiation treatment helps to make sure that the cancer has a very low chance of recurring after the initial surgery.
External beam radiation and brachytherapy are the two main types of radiation therapy. However, brachytherapy is generally only used if the patient has early stage prostate cancer (stage T1 or stage T2).
When the area of the tumor has been located by use of x-rays, CAT, or MRI scans, a doctor or nurse makes marks on the patient’s skin to indicate the exact area to be irradiated. Then, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) focuses x-rays from a linear accelerator to the affected area. The EBRT is usually given 5 days in a week over a period of about two months. Radiation treatments last only a few minutes and are pain-free. The treatments can be used for all stages of cancer, but if the cancer is T4 stage, (where cancer has spread far beyond the prostate gland), the treatment is used to relieve pain and cannot completely eradicate the cancer. There are temporary side effects that may occur during this kind of treatment such as diarrhea, bloody stool, rectal leakage and large intestine irritation. Other temporary side effects may include urinary problems like a burning sensation during urination, or the need to urinate more frequently. There is also a possibility of impotence, fatigue and lymphedema.
There are three forms of external radiation therapy now in use other than standard EBRT. They are the three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), the intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and the conformal proton beam radiation therapy. These therapies are considered advantageous over standard EBRT because there are fewer side effects, but they have the same benefits.
Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) uses a special computer to pinpoint the tumor site in the prostate gland, then uses the information to point three beams exactly on the spot requiring radiation. A specially made plastic body cast is used to keep the patient immobile during the procedure. The three beams are aimed at the prostate from different directions so that only the prostate receives the full dose of radiation. Other healthy tissues along the line of the beams only receive one third of the radiation. Studies show that this therapy is as effective as standard EBRT treatment on the cancer cells, and does less damage to other tissues in the area.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is like 3D-CRT because it uses several beams to limit exposure to healthy tissues. The biggest advantage of this form of therapy is that the machine delivering the radiation actually moves around the patient’s body as it gives the required dose of radiation. Healthy tissue is hardly damaged, because the rays move rapidly through healthy tissue and, at the same time, stay focused on the cancerous tissue.
Conformal proton beam therapy is also related to 3D-CRT, but instead of using x-rays, it uses proton beams. Unlike the other therapies, protons only release their energy after traveling a specific distance, so do not damage other tissues. This therapy is not available everywhere yet, because only a few of the machines have been made.
The form of treatment which is internal rather than external is called brachytherapy where tiny radioactive pellets are inserted into the patient’s prostate gland and left for some months. The pellets deliver the dose of radiation directly to the prostate tumor and not to the surrounding tissue.
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