Therefore, all therapy includes pretreatment counseling about sexual and physical function. Physicians have developed ways for patients to store and eliminate wastes after these procedures, and it is sometimes possible to reconstruct or reattach these organs so no external appliances are needed. Radiation therapy is delivered by exposing cancer cells to high-energy rays or particles to destroy them. The most common method of radiation therapy is known as external beam radiation or teletherapy . With this method, a beam from a machine outside the body is focused in the area of the cancer.
Treatment usually involves receiving teletherapy for five days a week for about six weeks.
The side effects for this method of radiation therapy include a skin reaction like a sunburn on the outside of the skin, fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea. When delivered to the pelvis, premature menopause and problems with urination may also occur. Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to fight the disease. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy, which means the anti-cancer drugs travel through the bloodstream, reaching all parts of the body. In general, chemotherapy drugs affect rapidly dividing cells.