9 _A_m__e_ri_ca_n_ _C_a_n_c_e_r_ S_o_c_i_e_ty_________________________________________c_a_n_c_e_r._o_rg_ _| _1_.8_0_0_._2_2_7_.2_3_4_5__ (It is not used to try to cure the cancer.) During this operation, the surgeon removes the inner part of the prostate gland that surrounds the urethra (the tube through which urine leaves the bladder). [...] An instrument called a resectoscope is passed through the tip of the penis into the urethra to the level of the prostate. [...] Along with shaping the beams and aiming them at the prostate from several angles, the intensity (strength) of the beams can be adjusted to limit the doses of radiation reaching nearby normal tissues. [...] Sometimes a balloon-like device or gel is put between the rectum and the prostate before treatment to act like a spacer to lessen the amount of radiation that reaches the rectum. [...] There have also been reports of the seeds moving through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, such as the lungs.
- Pages
- 67
- Published in
- United States of America
