Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy to kill cancer cells. Prostate cancer radiation therapy 
to treat the prostate gland can be delivered in the following ways: 

• External beam radiation: You lie on a table while a machine moves around your body, 
  directing high-powered energy beams to the site of the prostate cancer. Treatment is 
  traditionally given 5 days a week for 6−8 weeks. However, shorter courses of radiation may 
  be used.
• Brachytherapy: Using a needle guided by ultrasound, your doctor places many rice-sized 
  radioactive seeds in your prostate tissue. The seeds deliver a low-dose of radiation over a 
  long period of time.
• High-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy: Your doctor places tiny hollow catheters (thin, flexible 
  tubes) into the prostate and then places radioactive seeds into the catheters.
• Radioligand therapy (RLT): Your doctor injects a special medicine that goes straight to the 
  cancer cells and delivers a targeted dose of radiation from inside the body. This approach 
  damages or destroys cancer cells while limiting harm to healthy cells. It is currently used 
  for advanced prostate cancer. 

These are the RLT drugs that are used most often to treat prostate cancer. New treatments 
become available all the time, so this may not be a complete list. 
 

Please note: The side effects listed here do not represent a comprehensive list. Each RLT drug has 
its own set of side effects and ways of working. It's important to discuss all potential side effects of 
a drug with your healthcare team. Be sure to tell your healthcare team about any side effects you do 
have.