Side Effects and Complications of Standard Prostate Cancer Treatments

Prostate cancer treatments can sometimes lead to complications or long-term side effects, such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, or bowel issues. These side effects are particularly significant in treatments like radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy, or brachytherapy (highlighted in red in the table below). In fact, for some of these treatments, the risk of long-term or permanent side effects can be as high as:

• Incontinence: Up to 40%

• Erectile Dysfunction: Up to 80%

In cases of salvage radical prostatectomy (a treatment used after initial therapies fail), the rates of long-term incontinence and erectile dysfunction approach nearly 100%.

Side Effects and Complications

How Does HIFU Compare?

While HIFU treatment for prostate cancer can also result in side effects, yet the frequency and severity are significantly lower. HIFU is a targeted, non-invasive approach that minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissues, resulting in a much smaller impact on patients' long-term quality of life. This is reflected in the significantly lower rates of side effects (highlighted in green in the table below).

HIFU offers an effective cancer treatment with fewer complications, making it a preferred option for many patients seeking to maintain their health and quality of life.

* These incontinence rates include daily urinary pad usage rates up to 12 years after radical prostatectomy.
** These erectile dysfunction rates do not account for the progressive worsening observed over the years following radiotherapy, with erectile dysfunction affecting up to 74% of individuals six years after treatment.
The majority of the data presented in this table on functional outcomes following radical prostatectomy (including robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy), radiotherapy, and brachytherapy is derived from several controlled trials, including prospective and randomized studies such as the PIVOT, LAPPRO, HYPO-RT-PC, and ProtecT trials. 
Functional outcomes for radical prostatectomy are significantly better than those mentioned above when patients undergo surgery at specialized centers, such as our hospital, where our team of experts has extensive experience in the laparoscopic and robotic surgical management of prostate cancer.