What are common side effects of salvage radiation therapy?

Posted by rad62 @rad62, Aug 13, 2023

Common side effects 2 week into salvage radiation therapy

After 10 sessions of salvage radiation therapy to whole pelvis I'm experiencing a burning sensation in the rectum when evacuating.
Have many of you experienced side effects during salvage radiation therapy after prostatectomy ?(Not when radiating the prostate itself)

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

@kujhawk1978

My thought is no, what you describe, necessitates systemic therapy...ADT, Chemotherapy...

Radiation is not systemic therapy, it is generally best used on specific known locations based on imaging results.

Jump to this post

No detectable distant masses last pet scan bloodwork described as perfect. 6 of 35lymph nodes removed with prostrate positive. Summary of last med oncologist described me as stage 4a. ADT managing psa @ 0.0 for 6months now.Having trouble rationalizing radiation and recovery from accompanying side effects if I will require adt life long anyway to control metastisised pc cells.

REPLY
@billfarm

No detectable distant masses last pet scan bloodwork described as perfect. 6 of 35lymph nodes removed with prostrate positive. Summary of last med oncologist described me as stage 4a. ADT managing psa @ 0.0 for 6months now.Having trouble rationalizing radiation and recovery from accompanying side effects if I will require adt life long anyway to control metastisised pc cells.

Jump to this post

No distant metastases on your scan may not mean there are not distant metastases, just too small to be seen.
It may mean exactly that, none.
Who said ADT for life...? Many of the newer treatment paradigms such as doublet or triplet therapy are for defined periods, 18-24 months, if the response is positive, treatment is stopped and you go on active monitoring, typically every three months with defined criteria for going back on treatment. Here's an example - https://www.urotoday.com/video-lectures/asco-2023/video/mediaitem/3500-a-phase-2-trial-of-adt-interruption-in-patients-responding-exceptionally-to-ar-pathway-inhibitor-in-mhspc-a-dream-atish-d-choudhury.html?utm_source=newsletter_11982&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=prostate-cancer-daily

In my case, that off treatment was 4-1/2 years.

I'm on treatment now, six to twelve months, given my response, we'll stop and actively monitor.

How long off treatment this time, time will tell.

Lifetime of ADT, nope.

REPLY

Can a relatively recent pain at the top, inside of both legs near the groin be related to 28 the proton radiation treatments for prostate cancer that I finished in July 2023?

REPLY

I had salvage radiation in 2013 . 39 treatments. My cancer came back again for the 3 rd time 2 years later. I have urinary incontinence and frequency. I have had 5 inguinal hernias. My general surgeon said that it was possible that the radiation weakened my pelvic muscles.

REPLY
@jeh48

Can a relatively recent pain at the top, inside of both legs near the groin be related to 28 the proton radiation treatments for prostate cancer that I finished in July 2023?

Jump to this post

Welcome @jeh48. Have you had a chance to talk to your cancer team about the pain you're experiencing? Has the pain subsided since writing your post?

REPLY
@colleenyoung

Welcome @jeh48. Have you had a chance to talk to your cancer team about the pain you're experiencing? Has the pain subsided since writing your post?

Jump to this post

Thank you for asking. No, I have not spoken to them yet. I planned on giving the issue a little more time. The pain seems to coinside with me turning from on side to another when I'm in bed and I have noticed it when I'm climbing on a ladder. The pain comes and goes with this type of activity.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.