Pelvic radiotherapy in men: possible late effects

Radiotherapy can help in the successful treatment of a number of different cancers, including prostate, bowel and bladder cancer. Around 17,000 people in the UK have pelvic radiotherapy for cancer each year.

It’s important to be aware that severe long-term effects of pelvic radiotherapy are uncommon. Radiotherapy is very carefully planned and given to minimise the number of long-term side effects, so it’s unlikely that you will get all of the side effects mentioned within this section. We have included information about side effects during treatment|, which discusses external radiotherapy and internal radiotherapy. Many men only have mild, short-term side effects and don’t get long-term side effects at all.

This section describes how to deal with the side effects if they occur. It may help to read this information alongside our information about your particular type of cancer| and about radiotherapy|.

The time to talk about these issues with your doctor can be limited. However, it’s important to let them know if you have any problems, even if they’ve started many years after your treatment. There are many medicines and other ways of reducing symptoms and side effects. Management of these side effects is very specialised. GPs and cancer specialists aren’t always aware of what can be done, as they may not see many people who have had pelvic radiotherapy. You may be referred to see a specialist who deals with long-term effects of radiotherapy, which may mean that you have to travel to see them.