What side effects have you experienced from SBRT for prostate cancer?

Posted by tommyo @tommyo, May 9 5:17am

Just diagnosed with prostate cancer Gleason score 7. Options are prostate surgery versus SPRT leaning towards SBRT anyone had experience with this?

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cher60 | @cher60 | May 13 10:04am

In reply to @toolbelt "ADT was an easy ride for 6 months. Exercise, eat well, enjoy life." + (show)

You were extremely lucky then, and obviously it won’t be an issue for you, but not everyone has it so easy. Just as my husband recovered fantastically after his prostatectomy, but he is fully aware a lot of men end up with ED and incontinence post op.

thelawdave | @thelawdave | May 28 7:47am

In reply to @toolbelt "I finished radiation for mine December 28, 2023. I was 68 years old at diagnosis. One..." + (show)

Nice to hear. I have a similar situation. I await the results of my Decipher test. If high, my therapy will very likely be similar and I feel better about it after reading your post.

vircet | @vircet | May 28 8:52am

In reply to @thelawdave "Nice to hear. I have a similar situation. I await the results of my Decipher test...." + (show)

@thelawdave When I needed it most, I also read @toolbelt 's encouraging experience. Helped me in deciding to proceed with our Disney cruise.
(My wife booked it in July 2024. My SBRT took place April 9-21, following my February 2025 PCa diagnosis Gleason 7 (3+4) positive on 8 of 14 cores.)
I had mucus and blood on my stool, frequent bowel movement on week 3 post-radiation (I suspect because I had no spacer between the prostate & rectum); it cleared on its own (no meds) at the end of week 3 and I had no issues during the cruise on wk 4. I'm now on wk 6.
I wish you & hope you'll have a problem-free procedure.
Best,

tommyo | @tommyo | May 28 11:16am

In reply to @vircet "@thelawdave When I needed it most, I also read @toolbelt 's encouraging experience. Helped me in..." + (show)

Thank you to everyone who responded with their experiences. I begin SBRT @MSKCC 2nd week of June having spacer placed tomorrow.

toolbelt | @toolbelt | May 28 11:51am

In reply to @tommyo "Thank you to everyone who responded with their experiences. I begin SBRT @MSKCC 2nd week of..." + (show)

We got this brother.

ottoman69 | @ottoman69 | Jun 6 7:50am

In reply to @wn25 "Definitely trying to stay positive, keep working and doing my normal stuff... Thank you for your..." + (show)

I'm Scheduling SBRT for July in Colorado, could I ask what cancer center you are going to. Thanks!

frw | @frw | Dec 3 2:16pm

Trying to decide between IMRT with boost or SBRT with boost. GG2, Decipher .36, Arterra 4.3. Clean PSMA, confined to prostate. Mostly 3+4. One 3+3, a couple of 4+3. T2B. My RO doesn't seem to want to do SBRT. Has given me a solid reason but is really pushing the IMRT. I'd prefer SBRT just for convenience, sake all other things being equal. Any thoughts on this from anyone.

jeff Marchi | @jeffmarc | Dec 3 3:05pm

In reply to @frw "Trying to decide between IMRT with boost or SBRT with boost. GG2, Decipher .36, Arterra 4.3...." + (show)

@frw
You might want to take a look at the PCRI conference on YouTube 11/1/25. Skip through to where the radiation oncologist spends a lot of time talking about SBRT radiation. Because of a higher dose of radiation, it kills the cells more efficiently. He discusses it a lot with great detail.

Some comments

SBRT is now considered a standard of care option for prostate cancer in the United States

• SBRT is supported by multiple high-level studies:
• HYPO-RT-PC
• PACE-B
• UCLA-Led General Consortium Study
• UCLA-Led SHARP Consortium (high risk disease)

My brother was a Gleason 4+3. At 77 he had five treatments of SBRT at UCSF. He’s now 80 and his PSA has been pretty stable. I know a lot of other people that have had SBRT and had similar results.

bens1 | @bens1 | Dec 4 7:59am

In reply to @frw "Trying to decide between IMRT with boost or SBRT with boost. GG2, Decipher .36, Arterra 4.3...." + (show)

@frw
what was the reason your RO gave for not using SBRT?

jd18 | @jd18 | Dec 5 1:49pm

In reply to @frw "Trying to decide between IMRT with boost or SBRT with boost. GG2, Decipher .36, Arterra 4.3...." + (show)

@frw
I had SBRT (5 treatments) with 6 months of ADT at a "center of excellence" in the northeast. Unfortunately, I had several side effects- urinary retention (resulted in an ER visit and three weeks with a foley, followed by self-catheterization), rectal bleeding etc. I'm four years post treatment and still having problems.
Has anyone mentioned brachytherapy? It can deliver a higher dose and not impact surrounding tissues.