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Starting Proton Treatments for Prostate Cancer: Any experiences?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Aug 1 5:01pm | Replies (150)Comment receiving replies
I am considering SBRT Proton for 5 sessions over 2 weeks and would like to know if you experienced any side effects such as urinary or bowel problems, rectal irritation, erectile dysfunction or fatigue. One website said that side effects are usually temporary. What does prep consist of a number of enemas? My urologist found 3 lesions with Gleason scores of 3+3, a 3+3 and a 3+4. The 3+4=7 tissue was sent out for a Decipher test. A month later the results came back with good news. The risk score was 0.37 which put me into the Low Risk category. The report said I was a candidate for Active Surveilllance or radiation applied locally. My oncologist said that there is always going to be "toxicity" (side effects) with any kind of radiation. To have a buffer between your prostate and rectum did you receive SpaceOar (hydrogel) and was it put in at the same time you got the markers in your prostate?
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Rockin2047,
Yes, I received SpaceOAR which was injected during the same procedure as the placement of the carbon markers. The procedure took about 15 minutes. This procedure was less uncomfortable than the biopsy. If you experienced minimal discomfort during biopsy, the marker placement and hydrogel will be almost painless.
I also could have followed Active Surveillance, PSA 10.5, Gleason 6. Chose to get treated at Mayo Clinic Rochester. Experience was exemplary as would be expected at this institution.
Regarding side effects, I experienced the following issues. After Marker Placement and Hydrogel injection I started having issues urinating completely... which also seems to cause more frequent urination, greater urgency to urinate and slow urination stream. This continued through 5 Proton Beam sessions and approximately 3.5 months after last treatment. My sleep was disrupted by having to urinate 5 times a night on average. After 3.5 months these symptoms stopped and urination is now back to normal. My radiologist indicated that these symptoms are likely caused by the prostate being swollen, recommending Ibuprofen to reduce symptoms.
My guess as a layperson is that we must expect some swelling of prostate given what it has experienced, biopsy, markers, and radiation... it also seems that the SpaceOAR may put some pressure on urethra via prostate. This starts to be absorbed by the body after a few months and is gone after 6.
Good friend just got his Gleason 6 diagnosis, PSA 5.1. He is choosing Active Surveillance and will get another biopsy in 1 year. By that time there may be a 1 or 2 dose Proton Beam therapy available.
Best wishes,