Radiotherapy has long been the chosen treatment for aggressive prostate cancer for many doctors, but the risk of side effects, including sexual and urinary dysfunction, has created concern in the minds of physicians and patients alike. A new treatment being tested in British hospitals may change that, and it may be available as a treatment option in the UK within the year. The new treatment, called dose painting radiotherapy, uses imaging scans to identify areas in the prostate gland where cancer nodules are contained. These areas are then targeted with high doses of radiation as in focal therapy, while the surrounding areas are left untouched. In traditional radiotherapy, the entire prostate is treated with equal amounts of radiation. Because the prostate is such a small gland, this makes the risk of damage to surrounding tissues quite high. Dose painting radiotherapy is currently in clinical trials, and patients who have undergone the treatment received 20 rounds of the treatment, compared to 37 rounds for traditional radiotherapy. The results have been excellent, with most patients reporting few, if any, side effects and a high rate of success in destroying the cancer cells. The studies are too early for any survival rate claims to be made. While dose painting radiotherapy is a promising treatment option, men who are facing a recent prostate cancer diagnosis need to remember that the disease is far less dangerous than the name implies for many patients. In many instances, prostate “cancer” does not behave like cancer at all, and any risk of side effects from treatment needs to be considered. When the disease is confined to the prostate gland, the risk of complications from treatment is often more worrisome than the risk of the disease itself. Prostate cancer education is crucial to helping men who are diagnosed with this condition pursue the right treatments, whether they involve an active surveillance approach or a more aggressive treatment. – See more at: http://www.hifurx.com/blog/#sthash.Ch1jUvp6.dpuf