Radiation therapy for prostate cancer

Also known as radiotherapy, radiation therapy uses a controlled dose of radiation to kill or damage cancer cells so they cannot grow, multiply or spread.

Radiation therapy is recommended:

for localised or locally advanced prostate cancer – it has similar rates of success to surgery
if you are not well enough for surgery
sometimes after a prostatectomy for locally advanced disease
for prostate cancer that has spread to a small number of areas in other parts of the body.

Radiation therapy can be delivered from outside the body using external beam radiation therapy or inside the body using brachytherapy. In higher risk prostate cancer, radiation therapy may be combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Learn more about:

More information about radiation therapy

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has a resource on brachytherapy for prostate cancer – visit The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. For more details and videos explaining how radiation therapy works, visit targetingcancer.com.au.

Video: What is radiation therapy?

Watch this short video to learn more about radiation therapy.

Listen to podcasts on Making Treatment Decisions and Coping with a Cancer Diagnosis

This information was last reviewed in April 2020. View who reviewed this content.

Dr Amy Hayden, Radiation Oncologist, Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals, and Chair, Faculty of Radiation Genito-Urinary Group (FROGG), The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, NSW; Prof Shomik Sengupta, Professor of Surgery and Deputy Head, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, and Visiting Urologist and Uro-Oncology Lead, Urology Department, Eastern Health, VIC; A/Prof Arun Azad, Medical Oncologist, Urological and Prostate Cancers, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Ken Bezant, Consumer; Dr Marcus Dreosti, Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare, and Clinical Strategy Lead, Oncology Australia, SA; A/Prof Nat Lenzo, Nuclear Physician, Specialist in Internal Medicine, Group Clinical Director, GenesisCare Theranostics and The University of Western Australia, WA; Jessica Medd, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Department of Urology, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, and HeadwayHealth Clinical and Consulting Psychology Services, NSW; Caitriona Nienaber, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Western Australia; Graham Rees, Consumer; Kerry Santoro, Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, SA; A/Prof David Smith, Senior Research Fellow, Cancer Research Division, Cancer Council NSW; Matthew Starr, Consumer. We also thank the health professionals, consumers and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title. This booklet is funded through the generosity of the people of Australia.

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