Re: What happens to the prostate?

[Guest guest]

Hi Steve, as Fuller said there are no dumb questions. I too was

curious a while back about what the prostate is like after radiation.

It is very difficult to find any kind of description on the Internet,

or in books for that matter. I did find this, which is a pretty

simple, but easily understood paragraph.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill prostate cancer

cells, shrink tumors, and prevent cancer cells from dividing and

spreading. It is difficult to direct these rays only at the cancer

cells. As a result, both cancer cells and healthy cells nearby may be

damaged. Radiation therapy is not given all at once; it is usually

given in small doses spread out over time. This potentially allows

the healthy cells to recover and survive, while the cancer cells

eventually die.

But, the gland is still present after radiation. I found a site that

said that prostate tissue effects of radiation include, vascular

occlusion, tissue hypoxia and fibrosis.

>

> I have a dumb question. After radiation treatment of any kind, what

exactly

> happens to the prostate? Someone told me it passes out through the

urine. Is

> there anything left of it?

>

> Steve Ellington

> N4LQ@...

>