Several treatment options for prostate cancer, a cancer that a gland in the male reproductive system, depend on your specific medical situation, such as your age, your overall health, how fast the cancer is growing and whether the tumor has invaded nearby tissues. One common treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer, where the tumors have not spread outside the prostate, is radiation therapy.
Impotence
Impotence is the inability to sustain an erection that is firm enough for sexual intercourse. The incidence of erectile dysfunction after radiation therapy happens to more than 50 percent men with prostate cancer, according to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Veins and nerves in the pelvic region or spinal cord are responsible for pumping blood into the penis to cause an erection, according to Healthcommunities.com. However, the toxic effect of radiation therapy for prostate cancer can cause irreversible damage to the nerves needed for erectile function.
Incontinence
Prostate cancer patients receiving radiation therapy often experience blood in their urine or a sudden inability of the body to control the evacuative functions of urination or defecation, known as incontinence or urinary dysfunction. It may be due to radiation damage to the muscles that surround the urinary sphincter, which controls the flow of urine from the bladder.
Bowel Problems
After completing radiation therapy for prostate cancer, you may experience urinary and bowel side effects, including diarrhea, rectal irritation, bowel urgency, burning with bowel movements and flare-up of hemorrhoids for two to six weeks. Bowel problems after radiation therapy are more common in people with pre-existing bowel disease, but these complications can be improved with medications.
