After radiation treatment ends, PSA levels take between 18 and 24 months to reach their lowest point. In the 24-month period after radiation therapy, PSA levels may bounce up and down from reading to reading. Advantages of External Beam Radiation Therapy Radiation is an outpatient procedure that does not carry the standard risks or complications that accompany major surgery, such as surgical bleeding, post-operative pain, or risk of stroke, heart attack or blood clot. The procedure itself causes no pain. The risk of incontinence is minimal with radiation therapy.
Radiation treatment provides no opportunity to examine lymph nodes.
If there is a suspicion of lymph node involvement, your physician may recommend laparoscopic lymph node dissection prior to treatment. The following acute effects may occur during the course of treatment. Rectal irritation occurs in 30 to 50 percent of patients. Symptoms include rectal pain, burning, discharge, or leakage. Diarrhea occurs in 30 to 50 percent of patients two to three weeks into treatment, and resolves approximately two weeks after treatment is completed.