“How long after radiation do you start to feel better?”
I had radiation treatment for prostate cancer 5 days ago. How long after radiation do you start to feel better?
4 Answers
RadiologistRadiologist
Hello,
You are asking about the length of side effects following radiation therapy for prostate cancer. This is a difficult question without having more information. Radiation therapy is recommended for two reasons for patients with prostate cancer. One is to treat symptoms that are being caused by the cancer. This often occurs when the prostate cancer has spread to bones and often causes pain.
In general radiation is localized and given for short periods of time...daily for several days. Usually the pain improves a short time following completion of the course of treatment.
The second reason is for definitive treatment of a localized cancer. This can be given without initial surgery or following surgery to improve the chances of long term control of the cancer (adjuvant radiation).
For definitive information one can consult the guidelines of the NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) www.nccn.org and search on Prostate Cancer Guidelines. There are versions for both physicians and patients.
The decision of recommendations regarding post-operative radiation therapy often depends on what risk group a patient falls into. These risk groups are dependent on the pathological characteristics, the age of the patient, life expectancy of the patient and expertise of the treating physician. It is reasonable to discuss these questions with your treating urologist and radiation oncologist. Symptoms of radiation therapy can either be due to local inflammation of the skin in the area of the radiation therapy or inflammation of the deeper structures in the area of the radiation. There are often medications or treatments that can be prescribed to decrease or shorten the time that side effects are experienced.
If you have other questions regarding treatment possibilities second opinions can be obtained from local cancer centers or academic institutions. Oftentimes clinical trials can be offered depending on the characteristics of the individual cancers.
Good luck.
You are asking about the length of side effects following radiation therapy for prostate cancer. This is a difficult question without having more information. Radiation therapy is recommended for two reasons for patients with prostate cancer. One is to treat symptoms that are being caused by the cancer. This often occurs when the prostate cancer has spread to bones and often causes pain.
In general radiation is localized and given for short periods of time...daily for several days. Usually the pain improves a short time following completion of the course of treatment.
The second reason is for definitive treatment of a localized cancer. This can be given without initial surgery or following surgery to improve the chances of long term control of the cancer (adjuvant radiation).
For definitive information one can consult the guidelines of the NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) www.nccn.org and search on Prostate Cancer Guidelines. There are versions for both physicians and patients.
The decision of recommendations regarding post-operative radiation therapy often depends on what risk group a patient falls into. These risk groups are dependent on the pathological characteristics, the age of the patient, life expectancy of the patient and expertise of the treating physician. It is reasonable to discuss these questions with your treating urologist and radiation oncologist. Symptoms of radiation therapy can either be due to local inflammation of the skin in the area of the radiation therapy or inflammation of the deeper structures in the area of the radiation. There are often medications or treatments that can be prescribed to decrease or shorten the time that side effects are experienced.
If you have other questions regarding treatment possibilities second opinions can be obtained from local cancer centers or academic institutions. Oftentimes clinical trials can be offered depending on the characteristics of the individual cancers.
Good luck.
Usually about 2-3 weeks. It may be longer if patient receives a combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy .
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR- THERE ARE TWO MANY VARIABLES TO ANSWER SPECIFICALLY EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT most often the fatigue after radiation improves after a few months
The vast majority of my patients with prostate cancer typically begin feeling better within 1-2 weeks of completing radiation therapy.
