CAREGIVER GUIDE
The good news is that there have been many treatment advances in recent years. For more information on active surveillance, surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, and other types of prostate cancer treatment, visit zerocancer.org/treatment-options .
What to Expect with… Surgery
Surgery is one of the most common treatments for early-stage prostate cancer. It can either be performed directly by the surgeon or robotically assisted (laparoscopic). Some studies suggest a shorter recovery period associated with robotic surgery compared with traditional surgery. Whichever type of surgery is performed, it usually requires an overnight hospital stay and patients typically will need a catheter to help drain urine for up to 14 days post-surgery. Many physical activities will be limited for up to two months after the surgery. Urinary incontinence and ED are the two most common side effects associated with surgery. Patients can expect to need adult diapers/pads in the few months after surgery. While issues with incontinence generally improve over the year following surgery, some patients may find they will continue to need to wear adult diapers or pads beyond this time. Your loved one should talk with a physical therapist or their doctor about the benefits of doing pelvic floor exercises. These can be an important tool in managing incontinence, as well as ED. Often for the best results, these exercises should be done before surgery to help strengthen the pelvic floor and hopefully limit the effects of ED and incontinence after surgery. Radiation External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is non-invasive, so patients can be active during and after treatment with no down time. Brachytherapy, while less common, is a type of internal radiation therapy that involves the placement of radioactive seeds or temporary tubes into the prostate. This is a minimally invasive procedure, and most patients can expect to return to normal activity in less than a week. Increased urinary and/or bowel frequency is a common side effect during the course of EBRT. It usually begins to improve two to four weeks after the end of treatment completion. ED is another common side effect. It may improve over time, particularly in men who had good erectile function before treatment. Brachytherapy tends to have similar side effects as EBRT, such as ED, urinary frequency or obstruction, and rectal bleeding. A NOTE ABOUT FERTILITY For men and their partners who may want to have biological children, it is important to note that infertility is another side effect of surgery. Radiation also may impact fertility. If this is a concern, talk to your doctors about options such as sperm banking that can be done before treatment begins.
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