Proton therapy with tumor against recrum

Been afraid to ask my doctor what is going to happen to my rectum when he blasts my tumor. Anybody been through this one yet? The docs are shrinking it with the zytiga and lupron and it is working. Radiation to start in February. One more mri scheduled in December before it starts. No surgery possible because rectum would have to go. Need that for a while.

[Tall_Allen]

I think most proton protocols call for a rectal balloon that lifts most of the rectum away from the prostate radiation. Unfortunately, it unavoidably presses a small part of the rectum into the prostate. I expect your planning CT and MRI will include a rectal balloon so they can plan for this. Be sure to have a colonoscopy BEFORE you have radiation - you should avoid any instrumentation in the rectum for some time afterwards.

[dorke in reply to Tall_Allen]

Hi TA, I'm about to go on the same path.Having an appointment with RO tomorrow.

What about the gel that can be injected to separate the rectum from the prostate ?

I remember you mentioning questions to ask RO. Can you please give me the link to those questions ?

Thanks

[Tall_Allen in reply to dorke]

That's the last thing you'd want to do when there is a significant chance that the cancer has invaded the rectal wall.

I didn't have questions about hydrogel spacers, just an article:

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2017/01/...

[dorke in reply to Tall_Allen]

Found it

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2017/12/...

[Hidden in reply to Tall_Allen]

Both of the doctors say it is in the rectum but don’t consider it metastatic. No surgery possible so it must be. It is pulling away at this point. Seems like the rectum is going to need a serious amount of radiation. I was wondering if was going to function close to normal after the healing. I’m going to ask next time.

[Hidden in reply to Tall_Allen]

My clean colonoscopy is what led the drs to the prostate. I had a pressure there and my primary dr sent me to urologist after colon was clean. Gleason 8 with psa of 4.25. tumor on the right side pushed through the capsule and invaded the rectum and some muscles. I had a clean biospy in late 2015. I was too busy to keep up with it yearly. Mistake.

[johnscats in reply to Hidden]

Hi did u have rectal bleeding as one of ur symptoms j

[Hidden in reply to johnscats]

No just a pressure that sent me to get a colonoscopy that was clean. It was the psa of 4.25 my family doctor found and sent me to a urologist. He found the tumor and told me it was positive in 2 seconds. Zytiga or lupron has shrunk the tumor about 1/3. Drs. Are waiting till February to start radiation.

My question to everyone was, what will the outcome be for my rectum because the cancer has invaded into it. Going to see a lot of radiation in that area.

[Hidden in reply to Tall_Allen]

I don't have first hand experience with this, but I've read about it. Is this the same as the balloon you mentioned?

spaceoar.com/

[Tall_Allen in reply to Hidden]

No, it's very different