• About Holy Cross Hospital
• Our services
• Health information
• Classes and events
• Find a physician
• For patients & visitors
• Online bill payment
• Online nursery
• Career opportunities
• For physicians
• For our staff
• Ways to give
• Media
• e-Newsletter
• Virtual tour

Cancer Care: Areas of Expertise
Prostate Cancer: External Beam Radiation Therapy

Patients who are treated with external beam radiation therapy are treated as an outpatient, five days a week for 8–9 weeks. Treatments take 10–30 minutes per day. These treatments are painless. It is similar to having an X-ray. There is no nausea. Patients are able to carry on their normal activities, work full-time, and drive themselves to and from treatment.

Between the third and fifth weeks, most patients will experience mild to moderate urinary symptoms. These include urinary frequency (especially at night), burning on urination, and a weak stream. Very rarely patients will have bleeding. These symptoms can be partially relieved with medications. They are rarely severe.

During this same time frame, most patients experience mild to moderate anal-rectal symptoms. These include frequent small stools, rectal urgency, rectal irritation, excessive gas, and bleeding. Patients with hemorrhoids are more likely to be bothered, especially with bleeding and discomfort. There are medications for these symptoms.

Additional complaints include mild to moderate fatigue, hair loss in the irradiated area (not on the head), and very mild skin reddening. Patients may need 1-2 hours of extra sleep or a nap.

Most, if not all, of these symptoms resolve 3 to 6 weeks after completion of radiation.

Long-term complications include erectile dysfunction (20-40%), chronic rectal bleeding (5-10%), rectal urgency and frequency (5%), hip fracture (1-2%), urinary bleeding (< 1%), and urinary incontinence (< 1%). Rectal bleeding can usually be treated successfully with suppositories. HEMORRHOID SURGERY AND CAUTERY FOR RECTAL BLEEDING MUST BE AVOIDED SINCE MAJOR COMPLICATIONS MAY OCCUR. NEW LASER TREATMENTS MAY BE SAFE BUT SHOULD BE USED WITH CAUTION.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the most common complication following all treatments of prostate cancer. The good news is that most cases of ED following external beam radiation can be successfully treated with medication (Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis). If a patient has good erections prior to treatment, the probability that he will maintain an erection satisfactory for sexual intercourse after treatment is about 80%; however, many patients will use one of these medications at least some of the time. If the erection is already impaired prior to radiation therapy, these drugs are less likely to work. If they are unsuccessful, other treatments such as penile injections may prove effective.

Return to top