Radiation and BPH

Tech70
Tech70 Member Posts: 70 Member
in Prostate Cancer #1

I just finished reading The Decision by Dr. John McHugh.  One of the things he emphasizes in his decison path on choosing a treatment option for PCa is that if you suffer from voiding problems before radiation therapy, radiation will cause voiding problems caused by BPH to get worse.  I was disappointed to read this because I have BPH and Gleason 6 PCa which I am handling with Active Surveillence.  I have always thought that if I got and signs of progression, I would consider Cyberknife as a teatment.  Can anyone comment on their radiation therapy exacerbating their BPH related voiding issues?

Comments

  • JJO
    JJO Member Posts: 22 Member
    edited April 2020 #2
    Same issue

    Tech70: I don't have an answer, but I'm in essentially the same position.  I'm on AS, but things are not moving in the right direction.  When I need treatment, I loath the idea of the surgery.  Yet the size of my prostate and the BPH issues would appear to limit one's options.  

  • Tech70
    Tech70 Member Posts: 70 Member
    edited April 2020 #3
    JJO said:

    Same issue

    Tech70: I don't have an answer, but I'm in essentially the same position.  I'm on AS, but things are not moving in the right direction.  When I need treatment, I loath the idea of the surgery.  Yet the size of my prostate and the BPH issues would appear to limit one's options.  

    Stable

    JJO, I guess I'm pretty fortunate in that my situation is stable.  My PSA has not risen in the three years I've been on AS and all three of my biopsys have yielded pretty much the same results.  I'm 71 and have no major health issues, so I could be looking at 10 to 20 years of AS.  I have thought that maybe it would just be better to have some sort of radiation treatment and be done with the biopsys, etc.  Dr. McHugh's book did somewhat change my outlook, although he doesn't mention SBRT (Cyberknife) in his discussion of radiation treatments.

  • eonore
    eonore Member Posts: 185 Member
    #4
    BPH

    At the time I was diagnosed, I had been suffering with severe urinary retention for several years, requiring frequent self catherization.  This made my surgical decision a no brainer.  Although I subsequently required salvage radiation and hormone therapy, the one bright spot in all of this is the ability to piss freely.  What a relief.

     

    Eric

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    edited April 2020 #5
    Radiation treatment with BPH

    I was a mentor for my friend with BPH who had voiding problems, who required treatment.

    The radiation oncologist told us that the prostate atrophies after treatment, thus reducing the prostate size.

    Interesting the surgeon had a different opinion.

    My friend selected SBRT of which cyberknife is one of the platforms.

    Initially, for a short time the prostate was swollen for a short time from the treatment, and he had a temporary catheter. This was about seven years ago. He has not had any problems since. In fact the prostate did shrink in size. 

     

  • JJO
    JJO Member Posts: 22 Member
    #6
    hopeful and optimistic said:

    Radiation treatment with BPH

    I was a mentor for my friend with BPH who had voiding problems, who required treatment.

    The radiation oncologist told us that the prostate atrophies after treatment, thus reducing the prostate size.

    Interesting the surgeon had a different opinion.

    My friend selected SBRT of which cyberknife is one of the platforms.

    Initially, for a short time the prostate was swollen for a short time from the treatment, and he had a temporary catheter. This was about seven years ago. He has not had any problems since. In fact the prostate did shrink in size. 

     

    Thanks for the hopeful post,

    Thanks for the hopeful post, Hopeful.  

Discussion Boards