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Chronic radiation proctitis: What specialty treats this?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Jun 3 11:21am | Replies (8)Comment receiving replies
I have bleeding but no pain. I was told cauterization could stop the bleeding. However, my colon doctor when asked about the success rate he had was not very encouraging.........30% good results, 40% helped a little, 30% no improvement and in come cases made it worse. He said if it's just a few times a week to live with it.
He still wants me to have a colonosopy since my last was 12 years ago. That one was perfect as was the one before that. At my age, middle 80's, I have mixed feelings about it. I had extensive radiation since my Gleason score was 9 and the cancer had spread to pelvic lymph nodes. I know prostate radiation can cause bladder and colon cancer but how soon would it show up. My radiation ended a year and a half ago.
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When I initially was told to expect to live 5–7 years (about 1½–2½ years before progression to castrate resistance and stronger treatments, which hasn't happened), I figured I wouldn't bother with colonoscopies any more, even though I was only 56 at the time, and both my father and maternal grandfather had died of colon cancer.
As my horizon expanded (there's no longer an official "life expectancy" for me), I approached my family doctor and asked if I should have my regular 5-year colonoscopy. She said 100%, and that I should be planning for the future in other areas (like avoid type-2 diabetes) as well. That was great to hear, when only a year early I'd believed I wouldn't have much of a future to plan for.
The gastroenterologist at the colonoscopy clinic wanted to meet with me first, to assess my health and verify the procedure would be safe for me, because my records just said "stage 4b prostate cancer" and "severe spinal compression and nerve damage" which sound pretty grim. When he saw that I was outwardly energetic and healthy, he had no reservations about going ahead with the procedure. He showed me the radiation proctitis on the monitor, and found and removed one small, non-malignant polyp, but otherwise it was just like my two previous colonoscopies before I had PCa.
At my age (59 now) and given my family history, I think continuing colonoscopies was the right choice. Colon cancer is almost fully preventable with 5-year screenings, and it would be very sad to beat prostate cancer only to succumb to colon cancer like my dad and grandpa did. I'm not sure what choice I'd make in my 80s, but I will say (from watching them) that wearing a colostomy bag all day isn't fun, and avoiding that alone might make the colonoscopy worthwhile as you prepare to enjoy your late 80s, your 90s, and hopefully even beyond.