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SBRT Side Effects

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Posted 4/7/2016 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
Greetings All

I am scheduled to begin radiation treatment on 4/12. There will be a total of 5 treatments (SBRT with Calypso Beacons)
It seems there is a lot of info on the site regarding side effects.

Can anyone out there provide me with an idea of what the most common side effects are and when they go away if at all.

Thanks
Posted 4/7/2016 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
Usually, the immediate side effects from radiation are minimal..Some fatigue, maybe some urinary urgency...Radiations more troubling side effects can manifest themselves years later, sometimes many years later as the damaged tissue starts to breakdown...Using the 5 treatment SBRT as a primary treatment is somewhat new..You will be receiving a much higher dose than the usual 40 fraction IGRT which spread out the total dose over 2 months...With the 5 big doses, your side-effect experience may be different and more noticeable..
Posted 4/7/2016 6:29 PM (GMT 0)
JohnNW-

If you put "SBRT" in the search bar you can read actual patient experiences - 0311 has done several recent posts documenting his experience.

No one can predict how any individual will react - some are more sensitive than others. In general, SEs tend to be somewhat lighter and resolve more quickly compared to IMRT and brachy. There is almost never a fatigue issue - especially if you maintain a rigorous exercise routine throughout treatments. Make sure you hit the gym every day and scale up your cardiovascular exercise.

For a study about such issues, see the link in my signature.
Posted 4/7/2016 7:58 PM (GMT 0)
JohnNW, I just finished 5 SBRT sessions with Cyberknife on Monday. My SEs have been minimal. I have a somewhat reduced urine flow, maybe 30%, but not enough for Flo-Max, at least not yet. My RO said 80% of his CK patients require Flo-Max but I may not. No bowel issues. ED is not a problem. I had a little fatigue during treatment, but not enough to slow me down and none now. I was exercising at the gym during treatment.

My RO said SEs can appear or worsen 7-10 days after each session, and last for 4 weeks or so. But as Allen says, it's variable patient to patient.

It's really been a piece of cake for me so far, knock on wood. Good luck!
Posted 4/8/2016 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
You will find this in the recommended forum search on SBRT but I have had absolutely no adverse side effects since I had my last SBRT fraction a UCLA on 10-20-14, so almost 18 months.

Since LA hotels are so expensive each Mon-Wed-Fri I would take a prepaid $75 flight from San Jose CA where my son and grand kids live to LAX. The Uber ride from LAX to UCLA took longer than the procedure itself and I was back on another prepaid $75 flight to SJC that afternoon.

As a precaution I paid the extra $15 for immediate seating to be right up front near the restroom just in case, but never was an issue in flight.

No one can say for sure whether it was the Lupron, the Provenge, the SBRT or the Zytiga, probably the combination but my PSA remains undetectable. I still have no libido thanks to minimal testosterone as I approach my one year anniversary from last Lupron shot after 25 months on Lupron and 9 months on Zytiga.

Not too surprising since I was being treated for several years for low T before I was diagnosed with PCa plus 67 yeas old but fortunately no fatigue issues either.
Posted 4/27/2016 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hope your treatment went well, JohnNW. Keep us posted..
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