Prostate Cancer Treatment Side Effects
Many men who suffer from the advanced form of prostate cancer experience serious side effects from the treatment methods used for it. In addition, the disease itself can produce side effects. If you understand them, this can help you lose some of your fears about the disease, and this will help you to cope better. In this way, you can become an active participant in the process of your own care. Learn from your physician about the various options available to you, before you receive treatments. Weigh all the options, with the help of your physician.
One of the major side effects of prostate cancer treatments is impotence, or the inability to have an erection. When men go through surgery to remove their testicles, about ninety percent of them experience impotence. Drugs used in hormonal therapy, to reduce the levels of testosterone levels, also will cause impotence in many patients. Some of the men who experience impotence can later on maintain an erection again, with no assistance. Other men will seek treatment for this. You may opt to wear an external device, take injected or oral medications or have a penile implant. You can discuss these options with your physician before you approve of any treatment plan that can have impotence as a result.
Another side effect of prostate cancer treatment is incontinence, or the inability to control the flow of urine. This is especially common after radiation and surgery. Most patients will regain urinary control eventually. You can use Kegel exercises to strengthen the sphincter and the pelvic muscles surrounding it. A training program involving biofeedback can help to reinforce the proper way to perform Kegel exercises. Some medications are also available to relieve incontinence, so discuss these with your physician as well.
Many prostate cancer treatments may cause infertility. There are techniques that can help to preserve fertility, but these need to be performed before the treatments begin. Tell your physician before you receive cancer treatment about these possible techniques.
Prostate cancer can frequently be found to spread into your bones, which is referred to as bone metastases. This can be a painful condition, which also may weaken your bones, and make you more likely to suffer fractures. Hormone therapy can also have this effect. Your physician can tell you about treatments that can relieve your bone pain and help to support your weakened bones. Researchers are also using a new drug that can help in preventing the development and 
progression of prostate cancer’s bone metastases.
Radiation therapy can also help to reduce the bone pain that may occur in advanced cases of prostate cancer. External beam radiation uses an X-ray machine that directs the radiation toward the tumor in the tissues of the prostate. This can also be of help if surgery doesn’t remove all of a cancer, or in lieu of surgery. Physicians feel that this form of radiation is especially of benefit for patients with lesions that are not immediately in risk of fracturing, or when you only have lesions in one area.