"Radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer"

My background is that I already had undergone radical prostatectomy to remove my prostate some years ago. The cancer was found to have been more aggressive than thought and had progressed beyond the prostate itself. Subsequent PSA test results went from 12 down to 0.6/7 where it remained until recently when it spiked up to 2.1.

I was unaware that the PSA result should have been closer to 0, but appreciative that my case was noted and referred to Oncology. A PET scan did show that some cancer tissue was present and I was offered radiotherapy treatment to the prostate bed and lymph nodes.

I have recently completed 20 days of this treatment at the radiotherapy department in Ninewells hospital Dundee. My experience has been a positive one overall, with the following points noted.

-  I was told that my treatment included a scan to check size and position of bladder and rectum, but this turned out to be weekly after the first few days. It was explained to me that the first scans showed consistent volumes and thus daily scans were deemed unnecessary thereafter. I felt a little wary of this because I knew that my rectal preparation varied daily.

-  The linear accelerator machine broke (stopped) in the middle of one of my treatments. Honestly, this did not surprise me at all because it is a complex machine and such things often happen to me [ just lucky I guess :-) ]. The treatment continued after a few minutes (or less) without any apparent issue.

-  I suffered some bothersome side effects involving my rectum during the treatment stage. I gratefully received advice to deal with this from the radiographers and the oncology support nurses, including appropriate medicine or extra enemas.

-  Part of the treatment involves exact positioning of my pelvic area and the radiographers frequently handled my body to get it in the right position. This is absolutely the right thing to do and I had no problem with it. However several times, it seemed to me that only my skin had been positioned and my abdominal internals had not moved. There is little to no elasticity in my skin so it remained in the new position (and the organs remained in the old position).  I have complete trust in the radiographers and that they knew what they were doing, but I nonetheless worried a little that the radiation was hitting the right place.

All the radiography/therapy staff were very friendly, efficient, knowledgeable, and listened to whatever I said. As I await my prognosis I am pleased that such a facility and staff were available to me and I thank them all for their efforts.

In recognition of this I will make a donation to a prostate cancer charity.