| Treatment for prostate cancer has involved | | | | particles at targeted areas of cancerous tumors |
| radiation therapy since 1915. At that time the | | | | and tissues. This type of treatment for prostate |
| results were not very satisfactory as the | | | | cancer is non invasive and an ideal choice for |
| radiation beams did not penetrate deeply to | | | | those patients who do not want to undergo |
| irradiate the cancerous tumors and resulted in skin | | | | invasive treatment for prostate cancer or |
| cancer and morbidity. However by the 1980s | | | | surgery. |
| equipment like the linear accelerator was used by | | | | PSA level of 10 or lower and Gleason score of 6 |
| oncologists. This helped to aim at the targeted | | | | or lower means that the cancer is contained in |
| area better and increased the speed of the high | | | | the prostate gland itself and has not yet spread |
| energy particles being delivered. | | | | to the surrounding tissues or organs. Treatment |
| Treatment for this type of cancer with radiation | | | | for prostate cancer like IMRT and 3D-CRT are |
| has three categories that depend on the type of | | | | good as they destroy the cancer in the prostate |
| high energy particles delivered.o 3D-CRT (3 | | | | gland while leaving the tissues and organs that |
| Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy) that | | | | surround it almost untouched and unaffected. If |
| uses subatomic electrons to aim high energy | | | | the cancer has already spread then the risks to |
| particles/waves of photon radiationo Neutron | | | | the surrounding area is greater. |
| Beam Therapy that uses neutronso Proton Beam | | | | If the patient has scar tissues in the region of the |
| Therapy that uses protons. | | | | abdomen due to surgeries that were performed |
| Fractionated radiation treatment | | | | earlier, the colon and intestines can get exposed |
| This external beam radiation delivers small doses | | | | to extra radiation. All patients that have already |
| of radiation to the targeted area of the patient | | | | undergone radiation treatment for prostate |
| over a period of 9 weeks or so, depending on | | | | cancer cannot receive it again. |
| the case. The prostate cells that are normal and | | | | Salvage treatment for prostate cancer |
| healthy can easily recover from these small doses | | | | This type of treatment involves brachytherapy. |
| of radiation whereas the cancerous ones do not | | | | However radiotherapy cannot be used as a |
| recover. | | | | salvage treatment for this particular type of |
| All patients with this type of cancer who wish to | | | | cancer if the brachytherapy was not successful, |
| undergo external radiation treatment should have | | | | as the prostate gland was already treated with |
| the following:o 6 or lower Gleason scoreo 10 or | | | | high doses of radiation. Patients who have benign |
| lower PSA levelo Contained or localized cancer in | | | | prostatic hyperplasia should consider radiotherapy |
| the prostate glando No abdominal scar tissue on | | | | as a treatment. |
| account of previous surgery | | | | Cryotherapy is a treatment for prostate cancer |
| Other forms of EBRT | | | | that is also recommended as a salvage treatment |
| 3D-CRt (3 Dimensional Conformal Radiation | | | | if radiotherapy has not been very successful. The |
| Therapy) and IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation | | | | procedure of cryotherapy involves the freezing of |
| Therapy) are the newer forms of external beam | | | | the cancer cells in the prostate gland in order to |
| radiation therapy used as treatment for prostate | | | | destroy them. |
| cancer. These work by delivering high energy | | | | |