Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, affecting millions of people every year.

In fact, there were 1.4 million new cases of prostate cancer in 2020, according to the World Cancer Research Fund International, though many more are likely to have gone undiagnosed in less developed countries.

Of this figure, 375,304 people died from the illness that year, despite it being highly treatable.

Indeed, nearly all of those with stage one or stage two prostate cancer will survive more than five years, while this only dips to 95 per cent for those who have stage three cancer.

This is due to the growing awareness of prostate problems, with the Royal Palace recently revealing King Charles II has been in hospital for an enlarged prostate recently, encouraging the public to take note of any symptoms. These include back or bone pain, difficulty passing urine, weight loss and tiredness.

However, it often has no symptoms, which is why regular check-ups are so crucial.

Another reason survival rates are so high is due to the effective treatments now available, including radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer

Although there are many treatments available, including hormone therapy, surgery, cryotherapy and high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), a patient’s multidisciplinary team will decide whether going to a radiotherapy centre or having another procedure is most suitable.

It is usually offered to patients whose prostate cancer is still contained within the prostate or has, at least, not spread very far.

For external beam radiotherapy, high energy waves are directed at the site of the cancer to destroy the cancerous cells. Internal radiotherapy, on the other hand, is administered inside of the body, which is why this form of radiation is most commonly used for prostate cancer.

A radioactive source is placed within the prostate and kills the cells through the slow release of radiation. Some people have a permanent radioactive seed put inside them, so the radiation is released over several months.

Alternatively, a faster-acting source can be inserted, which lasts up to 40 minutes and is then removed from the body.

Some people might need both internal and external radiotherapy to really target the cells and ensure the cancer will not return.

However, radiotherapy can also be used on patients to slow the progression of prostate cancer or to relieve their symptoms.

Symptoms of radiotherapy on prostate cancer patients

Therefore, it is important to be aware of the side effects of the radiotherapy treatment as well.

For instance, it can make it difficult to pass urine as the urethra might have been narrowed during the treatment. However, this typically becomes easier after a few months, as it naturally stretches again.

Some men might have the opposite problem and leak urine after their treatment, though complete lack of control is very uncommon and exercises can help improve bladder strength.

Others may struggle to get or maintain an erection, particularly if they had problems prior to radiotherapy or if they had hormone therapy as well. The good news is, medicines to help with erectile dysfunction are now available.

Some patients might experience looser or more frequent bowel movements, or inflammation of the back passage.

Although these side-effects are not pleasant, it is important to remember they do not affect everyone.

Recent study reports high-dose radiation boosts survival rate

A recent study supports the use of radiotherapy, showing that a higher dose of radiation along with long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) boosted survival rates in patients who had high-risk prostate cancer.

The scientists found that by using radiotherapy of 80 Gy, compared with 70 Gy, this reduced the risk of disease progression and death.

After 114.2 months, those who had received the 80 Gy dose had higher five-year and ten-year rates for progression free cancer, cancer-specific survival and overall survival, representing a 44 per cent reduction in the risk of disease progression.

At the same time, the patients did not appear to have a lower quality of life or experience a difference in the toxicity of the treatment.

Therefore, it was recommended that a higher dose of radiation therapy, as well as ADT, should be administered as a standard course of practice for patients with prostate cancer.

This information will be useful to those who have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, as well as men who are at high risk of developing the disease. This includes those who are overweight or obese or tall, have a diet high in calcium, or consume a lot of dairy produce.