Radiation Proctitis

[Raychamp]

Radiation Proctitis: Has any one had Radiation proctitis after radiation therapy for prostate cancer?

[pjoshea13]

Ray,

Yes. Mine began a week into salvage radiation & took a long time to resolve. But most seem to do better.

Good luck, -Patrick

[Tall_Allen]

Sure. Lasted about 2 weeks

[Break60]

Yes after SRT . Bleeding from rectum . Got radio frequency ablation and it’s fine but took about a year.

[AlanMeyer]

Yes. I got some relief from Preparation H.

[immunity1]

Yes. After adjuvant EBRT 64Gy of moderate discomfort, lasted 1 month or so. More recently intermittent and milder after spot radiation 8Gy to met in pelvis. Both managed with Ultraproc suppositories and appropriate diet for soft faeces (lotsa fibre, kiwifruit etc). Rob

[Hidden]

Not really. In 2003, I was most fortunate to find a Doctor who helped to develop the IMRT machine. If I remember right, there were only three machines in the US being utilized in clinical procedures at the time. According to my Gastroenterologist, “very light scarring on left side only.” The major difference was the use of a rectal catheter balloon filled with saline for each of the 25 sessions. Reason. It kept the target area in the same place every time.

Be sure and guard against dehydration and constipation.

Gourd Dancer

[JimVanHorn]

Yes, my urethra damaged and only drops of urine came out fr bout 1 year. The condition cleared up, and now I am urine incontinent for 5 years now.I take two medications Tamsulosin (Flomax) to help void urine and Myrbetriq so I am nor peeing all the time. So now I feel I have to urinate and have time to get to the bathroom. The disadvantage is that often I pee and then 10 minutes later I have to pee again.

[Sxrxrnr1 in reply to JimVanHorn]

Have you considered dietary solutions to your need to pee shortly after prior urination.

Spicy or acidic food stuffs or drink can irritate the bladder or urethra causing this phenomena...google search frequent urination causing foodstuffs or drinks. The list is long.

Interstitial Cystitis is often diagnosed in women,,,,not in men as Urologist commonly stop at the prostate in men.

RT has been known to set this off,,,with spicy or acidic foods compounding it.

[JimVanHorn in reply to Sxrxrnr1]

Thank you for your response, I will watch out for spicy foods and drinks!

[PhilipSZacarias]

Hello Ray, my radiation oncologist told me that the rate of proctitis was about 5% for patients undergoing SBRT of the prostate. I was one of the lucky ones...the bleeding started almost immediately after the fifth and last treatment. Symptoms lasted about two weeks and I had to be within 30 ft of a toilet the whole time. I took probiotics (VSL-3) during SBRT treatment and for a couple of weeks afterwards and changed my diet as well - I eat much less meat, more veggies and fruit. Oddly enough I am more regular now than I was before. Phil

[agyoung]

Yes, I have had and still do have.

Had radiation in 2012 to the whole pelvic area after RP. About 3 years later I had urine that was so deep red I thought it was almost pure blood. Urologist said to keep an eye on it. Next day I began passing very large blood clots ( 3”x.75” or so). I thought my insides were leaving me. I had to have the inside of my bladder cauterized, and in the words of the urologist it appeared that the inside of my bladder had been shot with a shotgun. 23 active bleeding sites.

I have had to have this procedure done every 2 or so years, and am scheduled for this Friday. The urethra is way too small to be passing these “boulders”.

Good luck.

Alan

[agyoung]

Sorry Raychamp,

I posted in the wrong topic.

[MateoBeach]

There are two conditions discussed here. Post-radiation cystitis (urinary bladder damage with irritation urgency and intermittent hematuria). Then there is the radiation proctitis which can have a late-onset form. This is due to scar tissue forming in the wall of the rectum that is superficial and often has enlarged and friable capillaries. These are prone to intermittent recurrent bleeding. I have been blessed with both of these from my EBRT in 2007. If the simple measures offered are not effective, then a solution is the application or instillation of 4% formaldehyde solution for a few minutes. This must be done with care by a physician familiar with the treatment (GI or proctologist). Cauterization is considered too hazardous for risk of perforating the wall of the rectum. Otherwise the treatment is quick, effective and essentially painless. Recurrence is possible since the scar tissue remains.

[Sxrxrnr1]

For anyone considering RT in any manner for PCa, a must do discussion with your treating Physician. If offered, be done before radiation commences.

google.com/search?q=spaceoa...

[RJ-MN]

I had 37 salvage radiation treatments to the pelvic floor in 2009 and experienced my first rectal bleeding in 2013. At first I was terrorized, but the oncologists named it radiation proctitis and said not to worry unless the bleeding became significant. Bright red toilet water seemed significant to me (!), but I have learned to live with it. For years there would be about 1 episode a month; I’ve kept a special log. But then 6 months can go by without any bleeding. My last was March 3 of this year, so it has continued for 6 years (52 episodes) without any kind of treatment. It’s really been only a few drops each time with a clot or two on the toilet tissue. After the initial shock it’s one of the least bothersome side effects we all deal with.

[moguzzi]

Had delayed onset after my radiation treatment. Was literally dripping blood from my rectum. A colonoscopy showed a little damage of mucosal lining but the gastroenterologist did not find it alarming. She suggested I monitor any significant blood loss. A change in diet and eliminating low dose aspirin made a huge difference. Bleeding very intermittent and mild now.

Hope this helps.