What To Know About Having Radiation for Metastatic Prostate Cancer

As a caregiver, I wasn’t prepared for what my spouse experienced when I accompanied him to the radiology department at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. In his particular prostate cancer case, CyberKnife treatments were recommended, so there was a lot for both of us to absorb as he prepared for his first treatment. CyberKnife is a robotic radiosurgery system used to treat various types of tumors. Among the cancers it treats is prostate cancer. It delivers highly precise, high-dose radiation beams directly to the tumor, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

His cancer had metastasized to three places in his body, and the oncologists were treating the metastasis in his head first. He was told they were going to create a mesh covering for his face which would render his head immobile but still allow him to see and breathe normally. The technician then opened a drawer containing a warm, wet, white mesh and carefully placed it over his head and neck. He told me he felt like the type of expensive pear found in the grocery store with the lattice plastic mesh wrapped around it. When the mesh dried on my spouse’s face, the technician removed it and told him that the head wrap would be completed with a metal halo attached. That would allow them to position his head by using bolts in the table to keep his head in place. His radiation was to be “target specific,” so the mask had to be both precise and stable, so that no body movement would alter the treatment. My spouse said it was strangely odd to see a cast of his own face.

When the mold arrived, my spouse, who is an artist, said it was oddly interesting and looked like something that might be found in an art show. He later learned that some people paint their masks as souvenirs and take them home. However, to me, the mask looked like something from a scary horror film. The movies “Friday the 13th” or “The Silence of the Lambs” come to mind as examples of how I saw it. But thankfully, I was able to deal with it.

For my spouse, the most difficult process was to completely surrender himself to the technicians. During his treatment, he had to be very careful and sure that nothing, such as a garment, would slip under the mask, since it is incredibly tight. This happened to my spouse when a piece of a garment was trapped under his mask, constricting his ability to breathe normally. He wasn’t able to alert the technicians about this because he was bolted to the table and thus, unable to speak. This really frightened him! He later said the actual treatment wasn’t uncomfortable, except for the garment. Fortunately, his treatment was over in a relatively short period of time. However, the calculations that needed to be made beforehand were so precise that it consumed a rather significant amount of time, which initially alarmed him.

He assured me that his treatment wasn’t at all painful. However, being alone and very unfamiliar with the process made the first treatment considerably unsettling for him. So, it was important for him to be prepared for a lengthy process. He needed to remember that the technicians were there to make him as comfortable as possible, while still delivering this critical treatment. He had to be open with the technicians regarding any concerns or fears he may have had. It was extremely important for him to voice any concerns to the technicians before being bolted to the table because after that, no further conversation would be possible. The technicians were there to guide him through his treatment and to assist him with his psychological comfort.

After my spouse’s treatment was over and the technicians unbolted him from the table, he informed them what happened, and they assured him this would not happen again. As a caregiver, this relieved me and calmed my nerves because I was alarmed about what he experienced.

My spouse reinforced with me that the longest part of his treatment was having the radiation machines calibrated to his specific needs. So, he needed to be prepared for the entire process to take a longer period of time than might seem essential. We knew he would likely feel vulnerable during this process, but we also knew that he was in good hands. At Johns Hopkins, we felt we had the best radiology oncologists!

In my spouse’s case, he had no side effects at all. But other people may react much differently. The most difficult part of the radiation treatment is psychological since the patient must adjust to being immobile and at the mercy of others. If the patient is able to be centered and use their meditative skills, this will allow them to get through the treatment process successfully.

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