There are many life threatening conditions we are often faced with in our daily lives some of these condition are hereditary while others affects us in the process of growth and development. The most painful thing is that often these conditions leave behind a long life scar that remain to be a constant reminder of the devastating painful condition the victims have been through. Let us take for instance the cancer as a medical condition, and its treatment procedures. Actually the process of treating prostate cancer is one such condition that is able to transforms one’s life negatively and by extension the lives of those around the individual patient.
Radiation therapy is a well-known cause of erectile dysfunction (ED). The procedure (therapy) uses high levels of radiation to damage cancer cells’ DNA primarily to destroy them or reduce their growth and multiplication, in doing so the therapy helps in minimizing harm to the unaffected surrounding healthy cells. Prostate cancer is treatable by:
Considering the pervasiveness of prostate cancer and the reduction in the mean age at diagnosis, it has become necessary to openly discuss the modalities of treating sexual dysfunctions emanating from radiation therapy as a method for treating prostate cancer. Great achievements have made by the experts over the last two decades to minimize the negative effects associated with radiation. It is also worth noting that, the advent of 3D conformal x-ray therapy and brachytherapy (seeds) have gone some way towards reducing radiation-induced erectile dysfunction, even though some men continue to suffer from this problem. Nonetheless at this point in time, it is still not very clear what the true incidence of sexual dysfunction is after brachytherapy and it remains to be seen whether newer techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) will improve upon impotence rates.
Radiation therapy can cause erectile dysfunction in three ways. That is to say:
In radiation therapy there are two primary determinants of erectile dysfunction and they include:
Doses greater than 20 Gy (2000 rads) are frequently associated with large vessel injury meaning that, patients being treated with radiation for prostate cancer are receiving in excess of 70Gy. The wider the field of radiation, the less likely are blood vessels to recover. Given that the erection (cavernosal) artery is the only artery giving rise to erection, radiation exposure to this system may severely limit blood flow into the penis. It is therefore necessary that when you have been taken through this treatment procedure, you will need to seek medical help from the erectile dysfunction experts. I will therefore take this moment to introduce to you doctor Dalal Akoury an experienced medical professional in this line for more than two decades now. Calling her for an appointment will be the starting point and upon evaluating your condition in private and confidence she will administer the correct treatment which will leave you well, comfortable and full of fulfilled sex life again.
You may have not known and so it is essential to understand the penile anatomy and how it relates to the prostate gland.
Various studies have established that during 3D conformal x-ray therapy a significant dose of radiation is delivered to the back portion of the erectile bodies that is about 30% of the entire dose of radiation received by the prostate. Radiation therapy in the pelvis area of men can cause ED in 3 possible ways:
Some of the sexual side effects after radiation therapy may include the following:
Even with the most precise radiation therapy, men may experience some ED for the first few months after treatment. Many of the sexual side effects of radiation are slow and gradual, and may take as long as six months to several years to appear. Unfortunately, radiation-induced ED is usually permanent.
There are a number of treatments available like early post-treatment evaluation and early institution of a trial of drug treatment as soon as the patient experiences any trouble with his erectile function. Besides these various therapies can also be applied:
Hormone treatment (also called androgen deprivation therapy or androgen suppression therapy) for prostate cancer attempts to stop, block or remove the production of testosterone and all androgens to slow down or stop the progression of cancer. When hormone therapy is used, it is common for sexual problems to occur within the month following the beginning of therapy. Other common sexual side effects with hormone treatment include:
Having understood the magnitude of the side effects of prostate cancer treatment using radiation therapy, it will be very painful to jump into another health condition after struggling with prostate cancer. For the problems that may be associated with sexual dysfunction reach out for doctor Dalal Akoury for instant and professional medical attention today. You must not battle with erectile dysfunction because help is only a phone call away.
