Mednet Logo

Related Questions

When discussing definitive prostate radiation, how do you respond to patients who mention that they heard that surgery is more difficult after radiation treatment?

8
8 Answers

Mednet Member
Mednet Member
Radiation Oncology · AdventHealth Cancer Institute

I love this question! I hear it quite often, and it provides an opportunity to discuss the differences between radiation and prostatectomy, and the potential benefits and risks of both. I start by stating that it is absolutely true that radiation causes scar tissue that can make surgery months to y...

What is the best toxicity data to quote to patients for prostate IMRT vs nerve-sparing prostatectomy?

2 Answers

Mednet Member
Mednet Member
Radiation Oncology · University of Chicago

The surgery vs. RT question is a common one during a “2nd opinion” consultation with radiation oncology. More and more comparative data are being published regarding disease outcomes but many fewer exist regarding toxicity. I often hand out a copy of Sanda et al, NEJM 2008, which reports on qual...

For patients with high risk prostate cancer, is there data to support increased morbidity, such as increased urethral strictures or cystitis, when given postprostatectomy XRT as opposed to definitive XRT?

1
4 Answers

Mednet Member
Mednet Member
Radiation Oncology · University of Chicago

This is a very relevant question that commonly comes up in practice - should a man with high risk prostate cancer have a prostatectomy, when the chance of him needing post-op RT is reasonably high, if he could have RT/ADT only and possibly avoid the risks associated with surgery? The discussion must...