Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer
If you have prostate cancer, you might have radiation treatment. You could have radiation instead of surgery or after surgery, depending on your cancer.
If your cancer is in an early stage, you might have a choice between surgery and radiation. The results of treatment can be similar. For larger or more aggressive tumors, your doctor might recommend radiation therapy combined with hormone therapy.
Three types of radiation are used to treat prostate cancer
- External beam radiation: A radiation treatment from a machine outside the body, where a radiation beam passes through the body.
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy: A precise radiation therapy that focuses guided energy directly on a tumor.
- Brachytherapy: A radiation with small radioactive implants placed inside the body, close to the cancer.
The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the only cancer center in Oregon offering an innovative treatment known as Calypso® radiation therapy. Calypso is the most advanced form of radiation used in prostate cancer treatment. The system uses precise imaging to target only your tumor, avoiding healthy tissue. Read more
If radiation therapy is determined to be the best treatment for you, we will work with you to determine the best therapies.