What becomes of the dead prostate cells?

I think it better for you to continue your inquires in your initial thread. Your story is more fluid and the many here can focus to comment on your doubt.

Cancer are cells that behave differently from the normal ones. Rarely they can be spot by our immune system as no good unless they invade and disturb other environments (other organs). The ones that die are treated equally to the ones that have ended its life cycle, being disposed together with other trash.

 CK is also used in recurrence type of therapies using wider beams. The famous pencil-beam is known for its accurate delivery with very narrow tolerance. In any case, CK in recurrence treatments have not demonstrated to provide better outcomes than the traditional IMRT. CK is the best in hyperfractionated administration (high volume of rays in one delivery).

You doing well in investigating but you need those scans before any decision. Request your radiologist to contact a center involved in clinical trials for PET/CT scans. These are free of charge and include after service care. Here is a list that you can try to get involved;

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=PET%2FCT+prostate&Search=Search

Best

VG

I do not know if PC is like this, but all normal cells are programmed to die and be replaced. Cancer cells do not die, and therein lies the problem. They continue to reproduce other cells that do not die, hence a tumorous mass is formed. Once they metastasize, they can travel through the blood stream to dissimilar organs and continue to reproduce more cells that do not die, leading to malfunction of the host organ. So, if I am right, and someone please correct me if I am wrong, you needn't worry about dead cancerous cells because they can no longer reproduce more identical cancer cells, wherein lies their danger. It is not like a chemical disease, like Bovine Encephalitis, where an agent starts a chemical reaction that continues on regardless of cell death. And I am pretty sure it is not like a virus, that attacks a host cell and injects its DNA into the host to reproduce the virus.

But ask your doctor if that is true, or someone on here more knowledgeable about the subject.

Hi,

This is from the Canadian Cancer Society "Cancer cells have a limited ability to repair damaged DNA. This makes them more sensitive to the effects of radiation than normal cells in the body.  If cancer cells are damaged at the right time and repeatedly, they cannot repair themselves and they will die."

Dave 3+4

One oncologist says radiation damages the ability to reproduce but does not kill the cancer cell. The Canadian Cancer Society says the radiation damages the DNA and the cell dies since it cannot repair the radiation damage. Who is correct here? Seriously, between me, rooster, and Cleveland guy, if the authorities we trust don't even know exactly how these treatments work, how can we trust them to be informed to save our lives in cancer events? Can anybody speak authoritatively on the actual details of radiation treatment and cancer cell death? Would appreciate more input to solve this dilemma.

This thread has developed from dead cells to living ones that will divide and die. My interpretation on the mechanism of cells and the means for killing them is the following;

Our life building blocks, the Human Cell, are pre-regulated (DNA) to live and die. The imprinted “instructions” (DNA) include the Mitosis and the Apoptosis in the cell’s life cycle period, which events follow a series of steps triggering other events to occur. A balanced life cycle with all its phases accomplished could represent us being healthy and perfect beings or sick. Cancerous cells are those normal cells that at some time of their life lost the ability to act as natural starting their cell division with a series of unregulated events. They also die but while living they lost the ability of stopping to divide when they come into contact with a similar cell (contact inhibition instruction). They also divide faster uncontrollable without limits, forming colonies that grow and occupy the place of other natural cells.

Apoptosis (the natural death) occurs in a series of coordinated events starting with the breakup of cell’s membrane, and ends with the nucleus condensed and disintegrated into pieces taking these a certain time to be clean out from our system. We can say that the cell is dead but the “debris” will be circulating until the macrophage cells (making part of the immune system) absorb it to be disposed.

Cells are also killed dying unnaturally due to a “provoked” cause, such as by a burst of radiation or due to an intake of chemo, or a disease, or lack of blood supply, which set up is known as Necrosis (sort of cell death not predisposed in its DNA). This starts with the swelling up of the cell that eventually bursts, releasing its contents into the tissue where it lives.

Adding a note to the above which may be more of our interest in knowing, regards how we manage to kill cancer without affecting its neighbor, another natural cell not cancerous but judged “normal”.
To such extent man has invented means, tested them and verified such potential through clinical trials. Both, radiation (RT) and chemotherapy are able in killing cancer if these manage to stop cell division while in its application/action. In other words, such treatment should catch the timing of cell’s apoptosis to certify a proper killing, not just a blow. Damaged cells not dying can later divide and copy the defects most probably becoming real cancerous cells (rare but possible) and seen later as a treatment side effect or even a cause for recurrence. This timing of treatment action is therefore important for the success. PCa life cycle is known to take approximately 6 months. This is behind the reason for long periods of administration of radiation (5 to 40 sections) and chemo (5 periodical shots). 

The work of RT or Chemo resumes in damaging the RNA or DNA that tells the cell how to copy itself in division. Radiation can damage the DNA totally indiscriminately while chemo is more affinity damaging cell’s chemistry involved in cell’s division (damage of certain mRNA protein synthesis in faster division). Though, these treatments aim cell division, they are unique of itself because while radiation affects all cells at localized tissues where rays are projected, the chemotherapy affects all those cells in the body (systemic cases) with a certain characteristic, more prevalent of such chemo drug (PCa chemo drugs affect more those cells faster dividing). Apart from the cancer, the "normal" cells most commonly affected are the ones rapidly dividing such as; the blood cells, the cells in the mouth, stomach, bowel, and the hair follicles. These patients typically experience low blood counts, mouth sores, nausea, diarrhea and hair loss. Different drugs may act differently. To such extent, different drugs may affect different mRNA and therefore causing different effects to the patient.

VG