ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ADVANCED CANCER
GENERAL INFORMATION
LIFESTYLE AND NUTRITION
LOCALIZED CANCER
PROSTATE DISEASES
SCREENING AND DIAGNOSIS
SIDE EFFECTS
TREATMENT OPTIONS
External beam radiation
Before undergoing external beam radiation therapy, the health care team guides the patient through a planning process. Accurate planning is essential to ensure that radiation reaches the precise spot in the body affected by cancer while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue.
Planning process:
- Radiation simulation: A simulation is a planning session that takes place a few days before the first radiation treatment. During your first visit, the medical team will insert several gold marker seeds into your prostate. This process helps make sure the treatment is aimed precisely at the prostate during each treatment During this phase of the planning process, the radiation therapy team also works with the patient to find the most comfortable position for the treatment.
- Planning scans. Computerized tomography (CT) scans determine the exact area to be treated.
The planning process helps the radiation therapy team to plan the treatment sessions carefully and precisely and decide the dose and focus of radiation beams.
To know what to expect during and post treatment, click here.
Prostate brachytherapy
Planning process:
- Meet with a radiation oncologist: The doctor will explain the available procedures for brachytherapy as well as the possible risks and benefits of each.
- Planning scans:Before treatment, the patient undergoes imaging scans, such as computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help determine the optimal dose and positioning of the radiation.
For more information on high dose rate brachytherapy procedure, click here (article in French only)
For more information on low dose rate brachytherapy procedure, click here (article in French only)
For more details on the various prostate cancer treatments, see the Treatments section.
See as well:
Is radiation therapy right for me?
What are my treatment options?
What are the prostate cancer treatment options?
You have questions? Speak to one of our health professionals.
Contact our toll-free 24/7 line at 1 855 899 – 2873
