HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Rectal bleeding one year post IMRT

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 11/27/2015 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
To stop bleeding from radiation damage I had an endoscopic radio frequency ablation. Doc found over 100 damaged blood vessels . Just goes to show that IMRT is not without risk and selection of very experienced radiation team which specializes in prostate cancer is paramount. Two weeks after the procedure I'm doing ok. Hopefully it stays that way.
Bob
Posted 11/27/2015 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
I had a similar procedure back in April. So far all is well.

Andrew
Posted 11/27/2015 10:47 PM (GMT 0)
about 16 months after the final IMRT session, I underwent a similar procedure (Argon Plasma Coagulation Therapy) during an endoscopy.
It reduced the bleeding significantly without side effects.

Hope the same will be true for you.
Posted 11/27/2015 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
Bob, sorry to hear of the unpleasant side effect. Radiation therapy does have its risks. My RO's plan had a 6mm margin around the prostate, but 4mm at the rectal wall. That's small, a bit over 1/8". Hence the gold markers, I understand.

Are you concerned about your treatment team? Perhaps some folks are just more sensitive in that area, more susceptible to such injury. Perhaps the treatment plan allowed too much exposure? Perhaps the plan was right but the targetting was off a little? So hard to say. We have to trust at some point, interview, ask for the provider's clinical history, success rate, whatever. But we end up trusting in the treatment plan.

From your kind of cautionary tone I'm wondering what your underlying concern may be. It might help others facing the same choices.
Posted 11/27/2015 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
Redwing
My underlying concern is that I had SRT locally in a community hospital due to convenience when maybe I should have gone to a high volume prostate Cancer facility. I'm now undergoing radiation to lymph nodes at Dattoli Cancer Center which only treats prostate cancer and I'm much more impressed with the entire team from physicists to dosimetrist to technicians and especially with Dr Dattoli. I was warned of the probability of rectal damage but mine was extensive. I was referred by Dattoli to a GI specialist in Sarasota who said he's never seen a worse case than mine. So far the outcome has been satisfactory.
Bob
Posted 11/27/2015 11:56 PM (GMT 0)
Let's hope that's that. Good luck with your remaining treatments.
Posted 11/28/2015 3:47 AM (GMT 0)
I have had rectal bleeding for over 2 years now. Slowly, I believe it is getting better without ablation therapy. Since my hemoglobin and hematocrit were unchanged and the bleeding was very mild, I chose not to treat.
By the way, Carafate suspension and suppositories with hydrocortisone had no affect on the bleeding.

I asked my radiologist if my risk of rectal cancer is increased. His opinion is the risk is very small. I hope so.

Congratulations on those that have sought treatment for this with success. Good job!

Paul
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply