Most prostate cancer treatments can cause long-term side effects, although new therapies and the refinement of tried and true methods are reducing this risk considerably. It can never be completely avoided, however. Why? Well, the first priority of anyone’s medical team is to cure or control cancer. Sometimes, neither can be done without putting a man at risk of experiencing the ongoing effects of treatment. Taking this risk is a necessary evil. Remember, though, prostate cancer treatment saves lives, and the possible side effects of this life-saving treatment can also be treated.

The pages in this section of the PCCN website will give you information on managing or treating the side effects that are the most troublesome for prostate cancer survivors---the side effects that are the most common and that most affect a man’s quality of life.

Here are some of them:

• Incontinence, or loss of the ability to control urination, is a possible side effect of prostate surgery, radiation therapy, or any treatment that removes the prostate or destroys its tissue. That’s because the prostate is close to the bladder and surrounds the tube that allows urine to flow outside of the body, the urethra.
• Erectile dysfunction (ED), which is also known as impotence, is another possible long-term side effect of surgery or radiation. Cryosurgery (freezing cancerous tissue) and hormone therapy can also cause ED. Erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection adequate for sexual intercourse.
• Infertility and loss of sexual desire can also occur as a result of various prostate cancer treatments. Most men will be infertile after surgery or radiation, and hormonal therapy can reduce sexual desire.
• Fatigue, weight fluctuations, and the loss of muscle mass and bone density (osteoporosis) are frequently experienced by men undergoing hormonal therapy for prostate cancer. These possible side effects are very “treatable”---often, lifestyle changes offer good protection.

New pages on managing these and other side effects will be available soon. In the meantime, check out the information on these topics already posted on the PCCN or PCC site.

Acupuncture reduced hot flashes for men on hormone therapy, April 2011

Prostate cancer and bone health, March 2011

Behavioural therapy treats persistent incontinence after prostate surgery, January 2011

Sexual function after radiation therapy, January 2010

Erectile function and prostate surgery: Dr. Mulhall tells it straight, September 2009

Study of side effects may help men choose treatment, April 2009

Penile rehabilitation after surgery, November 2008 (report on a presentation by Dr. Larry Goldenberg)

What men with prostate cancer (and their partners) always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask, September 2008

Recover control earlier with exercise, March 2007 (article about incontinence and Kegel exercises)

A device to restore urinary continence after prostate cancer treatment, November 2006 (article about an artificial sphincter device from a man who chose this option)

Don’t suffer in silence with your erectile dysfunction and incontinence, December 2005