Hi AntTan, and welcome to the forum, I'm sorry to hear your partner has prostate cancer, and is worried about having radiotherapy. I have locally advanced prostate cancer and had aggressive radiotherapy for it April 2022, I had a high dose 76gy over 20 sessions, I was on hormone therapy, before, during and after radiotherapy as well, which can also cause side effects and it's not always clear which treatment is to blame, but the ones I believe were RT linked were loss of hair around the lower abdomen, dry skin, urinary bleeding "I had bladder neck involvement" so that area was targeted, loss of libido for a couple of months and an increase in fatigue. I know many guys get no, or very few side effects, or get mild side effects, they are nearly all treatable and gone in a few months after RT has finished. just before my RT, my cancer was in 5 organs and 8 lymph nodes, my last scan could only detect cancer in 1 lymph node.

Eddie

Hi Eddie, thank you so much for your reply. It is really helpful to hear from someone who has been through this. I will let my partner know and hopefully, if it's OK with you, get him to message you himself. Thanks again. 

Your welcome and please contact me at any time.

Eddie

Hi AntTan

The big choice for your partner is what are the side effects of not having radiotherapy, including recurrence and spread of cancer, reduced life expectancy and so on.

The treatment is well tried and tested eddiel has given a good account of his experience and a search of this forum will reveal countless other posts with prostate cancer.

I made the choice to have brutal radiotherapy to my head and neck. I got through it and am still here 10 years later, instead of one year. I've now had a recurrence and the only option is surgery and immunotherapy which I jumped at when given the choice and it is going OK.

If you do have any input into your partners decision implore him to go ahead with the treatment for both your sakes.  Cancer needn't be a lottery.

Best wishes for both of you.

Ed