These issues should be discussed thoroughly with the doctor as well as the patient's family. Radiation techniques have greatly improved in the last two decades and the risk of complications is now generally low. Radiation therapy is usually given daily for about two months and is generally well-tolerated. No anesthesia or hospitalization is needed. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes, during which the patient may feel nothing or a slightly warm sensation.
Many patients are able to continue working even when they are undergoing treatment.
During each week of treatment, the patient will be monitored by the physician or nurse for side effects. Radical Prostatectomy Radical prostatectomy generally requires a hospital stay of a few days. General or regional anesthesia is used. Following surgery, a rubber catheter is left in place for several weeks until healing is complete, after which the catheter is removed. The goal of radical prostatectomy is to remove the tumor in its entirety.