A common side effect following prostate cancer treatments is impotence: the inability for a man to maintain an erection sufficient to engage in sexual intercourse. Prostate cancer itself is not the cause of impotence. It is generally the treatments used to combat the cancer that cause men difficulty in getting an erection.
Generally the treatments that cause erectile dysfunction include surgery in which the entire prostate gland is removed; the various forms of radiation therapy; hormone therapy; and finally, most forms of cryosurgery – the procedure by which cancerous cells are frozen.
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There have been improvements in the procedures used to treat prostate cancer which have increased the probability that those who suffer impotence following treatment will be able to obtain an erection. They include advances in the equipment used when performing cryotherapy and brachytherapy. There are also never-sparing techniques which have been developed when performing a prostatectomy. These techniques spare many of the neurovascular nerves that help stimulate erections.
One study has shown that impotence results 75% of the time following regular prostatectomy procedures compared to 66% when the new nerve-sparing techniques are employed.
However, even if a man can get an erection following surgery of this type, he should also be able to reach an orgasm. The orgasm however will result in little to no ejaculation. This resulting infertility is generally not a problem in most cases since most men suffering from prostate cancer are older and are no longer interested in procreating. Nevertheless, when fertility is at issue it is possible to “bank” sperm prior to the procedure.
