You’re Considering Radiation Therapy for Early-Stage Disease

Knowing what to expect before, during, and after radiation therapy for the treatment of early-stage disease will help in the decision-making process when choosing the best therapeutic strategy.

• Which radiation technique will be used?
• Based on your experience, why is this the right approach for me?
• How will this procedure precisely target the cancer tissue but leave the normal tissue unharmed?
• Are there specific radiation therapy approaches that we should discuss or consider, such as IMRT or brachytherapy?
• What dose of radiation will you be using and how/why did you select that dose of radiation?
• How often will I need to come into the clinic for treatments?
• Do you recommend that we initiate androgen deprivation therapy ("hormone therapy") before the radiation treatments? Why or why not?
• What level of success have you had in preserving potency (ability to get an erection) in your patients following this type of radiation therapy?
• What about preserving urinary and bowel continence (bladder and bowel control)? Are there other urinary or bowel side effects that I should be concerned about?
• What can I expect following the treatments in terms of recovery time? How long will it be before I can return to my normal activities?
• Are there delayed side effects that might appear over time?
• What will we do to monitor my prostate cancer following the radiation?