Prostate cancer will strike 1 in 6 men

In balance


Prostate cancer is a real health risk, striking one in six men. Regular screenings increase the likelihood of catching the cancer early, and men who are diagnosed have several treatment options to consider.

Prostate cancer affects the small, walnut-shaped gland in males that creates seminal fluid, which protects and nourishes sperm. Depending on the stage and location of the cancer, a doctor may suggest radiation treatment as an alternative to surgery.

Modern radiation therapy is incredibly advanced. Using sophisticated technology, doctors can better target prostate cancer cells with a higher dose of radiation, lowering the risk of side effects, protecting nearby healthy tissue and improving outcomes.

Generally, two types of radiation treatment are considered: high-powered X-rays generated by a machine — called external beam radiation — and brachytherapy, the placement of radioactive pellets into the prostate.

Of the two therapies, external beam radiation is more commonly used to treat prostate cancer. Advanced machines called linear accelerators produce X-rays that penetrate deep into the body and disrupt the DNA of cancer cells. With millimeter accuracy, the shape of the X-ray beam is specifically contoured to an individual’s prostate. This three-dimensional outline is set before the first treatment using imaging tests such as MRIs or CT scans.

For irregularly shaped tumors, linear accelerators can also alter the power of each beam to better target the radiation and protect surrounding healthy tissue. This process is called intensity modulated radiation therapy. Newer linear accelerators also feature image-guided radiation therapy, which uses imaging scanners to pinpoint the precise location of the prostate each day before radiation begins.

External beam radiation lasts for several minutes, and patients are exposed to radiation during the process. Men typically receive radiation once a day, five days a week, for about eight weeks.

A doctor may suggest an alternate form of external beam radiation called stereotactic body radiation therapy, which shortens the length of treatment. Instead of eight weeks of radiation, men receive five daily, higher-dose treatments.

Brachytherapy can also be an effective treatment for men with early stage, slow-growing prostate cancer. One form of the treatment involves implanting about 100 radioactive pellets, or “seeds,” into the prostate while a patient is under anesthesia.

Each seed, about the size of a grain of rice, gives off low doses of radiation for weeks or months. The seeds stay in the prostate after the radioactive material decays.

There is also a temporary form of brachytherapy, in which very tiny plastic catheters are placed into the prostate. Radiation is delivered through the catheter directly to the tumor, and doctors can easily control the radiation dose in different parts of the prostate. Once the catheters are removed, no radiation remains in the prostate.


The good news about prostate cancer is that it can be slow growing, and most cases are found in the early stages. Of these early-stage cases, survival rates are excellent — 99 percent of patients live at least a decade after being diagnosed and many men live much longer, according to the American Cancer Society.


Geoffrey Weinstein, MD, is the medical director of radiation oncology at Sharp Memorial Hospital.


