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Side Effects of Prostate Cancer Treatment

A major concern for men who receive a prostate cancer diagnosis is how the disease and treatment will affect their day to day life. It's important to know what to expect during and after treatment so you are prepared to make a decision on how you want to deal with the issue.

New and better treatments are saving more lives every day. However, treatments have side effects and you need to know the facts. It's important to keep in mind that different treatments can present different side effects, so it is important to talk to your doctor about the side effects of each type of treatment before selecting your next course of action.

Side effects of prostate cancer treatment may include:

Incontinence - the inability to control urine flow when coughing, laughing, sneezing, or exercising.

Erectile Dysfunction - also known as impotence, is the inability to get an erection.

Fatigue - a daily lack of energy associated with excessive whole-body tiredness and not relieved by sleep.

Pain - not usually a major effect of treating local prostate cancer. However, advanced prostate cancer can cause pain, particularly when metastisized to the bone. Chemotherapy can also cause pain, anemia and nausea.

Bone Pain or Weakness - weakness and increased porousness in bone, can be caused by hormone therapy. Cancer that has metastasized to the bone can also cause pain.

Depression - Occasional feelings of sadness, anger and anxiety are normal for people going through a major challenge like cancer, but sometimes, these feelings just won't go away. Feelings that persist may be a sign of a serious condition, and should be discussed with your doctor.

Certain treatments often come with certain side effects. Learn more about hormone therapy side effects and chemotherapy side effects.