Common general side effects of radiation therapy
- Fatigue. Fatigue is feeling tired physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s very common for people with cancer and often happens with radiation therapy.
- Skin problems. Your skin in the radiation treatment area might look red, irritated, swollen, blistered, sunburned, or tanned.
- Hair loss. Radiation therapy can cause hair to be thinned or lost in the area being treated. ...
- Low blood counts. Rarely, radiation therapy can cause changes in your blood count levels. These blood cells help your body fight infection and prevent bleeding.
What happens to your skin after radiation treatment?
Your skin in the radiation treatment area might look red, irritated, swollen, blistered, sunburned, or tanned. After a few weeks, your skin might become dry, flaky, or itchy, or it may peel. This is sometimes called radiation dermatitis. It’s important to let your cancer care team know about any skin changes.
What can I expect during radiation therapy?
Most people feel little to no discomfort during this treatment. But some may experience weakness or nausea from the anesthesia. You will need to take precautions to protect others from radiation exposure. Your radiation therapy team will provide these instructions.
What are the side effects of radiation therapy to the head?
Below are the most common side effects of radiation therapy to the head and neck. You may have all, some, or none of these. Your nurse will talk with you about the side effects you’re most likely to have. Your treatments will cause changes in your mouth and throat.
How do I take care of my skin after radiation therapy?
Reapply the sunscreen often. Continue to give your skin extra protection from sunlight, even after radiation therapy ends. Use only lukewarm water and mild soap. Just let water run over the treated area.
What are the side effects of radiation on the face?
Possible side effects of radiation Skin irritation, ranging from redness to blistering and peeling. Changes in skin color. Hair loss in the area being treated. Damage to saliva-making glands and teeth when treating cancers near these structures.
Does radiation change your face?
Sometimes radiation therapy can cause the skin on the part of your body receiving radiation to become dry and peel, itch (called pruritus), and turn red or darker. Your skin may look sunburned or become swollen or puffy. You may develop sores that become painful, wet, and infected. This is called a moist reaction.
What can you not do during radiation treatment?
Avoid raw vegetables and fruits, and other hard, dry foods such as chips or pretzels. It's also best to avoid salty, spicy or acidic foods if you are experiencing these symptoms. Your care team can recommend nutrient-based oral care solutions if you are experiencing mucositis or mouth sores caused by cancer treatment.
How long after radiation do you start to feel better?
Most side effects go away within 1–2 months after you have finished radiation therapy.
What are 5 harmful effects of radiation?
Here are a few common health effects or harmful effects of radiation on the human body.Hair. Loss of hair fall occurs when exposure to radiation is higher than 200 rems.Heart and Brain. Intense exposure to radiation from 1000 to 5000 rems will affect the functioning of the heart. ... Thyroid. ... Blood System. ... Reproductive Tract.
What are the worst side effects of radiotherapy?
Treatment areas and possible side effectsPart of the body being treatedPossible side effectsBrainFatigue Hair loss Memory or concentration problems Nausea and vomiting Skin changes Headache Blurry visionBreastFatigue Hair loss Skin changes Swelling (edema) Tenderness5 more rows•Jan 11, 2022
Can I drive myself to radiation treatments?
Unless you feel ill, you can typically drive yourself to treatment. In fact, many patients are able to work full-time during their treatment.
What can I expect after my first radiation treatment?
The most common early side effects are fatigue (feeling tired) and skin changes. Other early side effects usually are related to the area being treated, such as hair loss and mouth problems when radiation treatment is given to this area. Late side effects can take months or even years to develop.
How do you prepare your skin for radiation?
Daily Routine. Keep skin in treated area dry. Gently wash skin daily with warm water and a mild soap (like Dove) and pat dry. Do not use any lotions, creams, perfumes, powders, cosmetics, tape or deodorants on the skin where your radiation is given.
What should you put on your skin after radiation?
Aquaphor® is often recommended to patients for general skin care. (Your health care team will give you a sample and a coupon for Aquaphor). If your skin becomes dry or itches and your doctor approves, apply the product to the treatment areas after radiation.
Is radiation worse than chemo?
The radiation beams change the DNA makeup of the tumor, causing it to shrink or die. This type of cancer treatment has fewer side effects than chemotherapy since it only targets one area of the body.
What does radiation fatigue feel like?
Feeling very tired and lacking energy (fatigue) for day-to-day activities is the most common side effect of radiation therapy to any area of the body. During treatment, your body uses a lot of energy dealing with the effects of radiation on normal cells.
What are the side effects of radiation?
To clear up some of the confusion, let's break down the more common side effects of radiation. To do this, let's put radiation-induced side effects into two categories: acute reactions and latent reactions.
How long does it take for a reaction to occur after radiation?
Acute reactions are those that occur within 90 days from the first treatment. These are extremely common to experience while undergoing radiation therapy. As the skin cells are hit with radiation, they need time to repair. As the dose received increases, the damage increases, and the healthy cells cannot fix it as fast.
Why do we not just space out the treatments more and give the healthy cells are time?
So why do we not just space out the treatments more and give the healthy cells are time? We could, but that would also provide the skin cancer cells more time to repopulate. Therefore we continue the treatments knowing that even though the healthy skin is being affected, it will ultimately heal over time and eventually repair the damage.
How long after radiation do you have latent side effects?
Latent (or chronic) reactions are side effects that can appear 90 days after the first dose of radiation. Every patient is different and there is no guarantee that someone will or will not experience latent side effects.
Why do we prescribe radiation?
We do this to lower the chance of the patient experiencing these side effects . With that, there are always exceptions.
Why does my skin turn red?
This is kin redness caused by inflammation. Usually, redness is the first side effect to appear. The reddening is caused by swelling of the capillaries that cause an increased blood flow to the skin.
Why should radiation therapy be used for skin cancer?
And according to the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, superficial radiation therapy should be the first option for certain types of skin cancer because cure rates are similar to surgical options.
How long has radiation been used to treat skin cancer?
Radiation, which has been used to treat skin cancer for 100 years, kills the cancer by targeting the cancer directly. There is no cutting and no surgery.
What is the best radiation for skin cancer?
One of the most effective types of radiation to treat skin cancer is high-dose radiation (HDR). That’s what is offered by Horizon Medical Services. We treat patients in Monroe, Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
How long does skin cancer treatment last?
But on average, patients need 14 treatments, and each lasts less than 30 minutes.
What is the procedure called when a dermatologist cuts the skin layer by layer to remove the cancer?
Many think Mohs , a surgical procedure where a dermatologist cuts the skin layer by layer to remove the skin cancer, is the gold standard for skin cancers on the face. But it’s not perfect for all patients.
Can you cut out skin cancer?
Sure, surgery to cut out the skin cancer on a patient’s nose, cheek, ear, eyelid or lips will likely leave a patient cancer-free. But when that patient looks in the mirror, an unsightly scar will often be a painful reminder of that skin cancer.
Is HDR better than surgery?
HDR therapy is a better option than surgery for many because of its effectiveness and its ability to spare healthy tissue surrounding the cancer site.
How to avoid skin irritation from radiation?
To avoid irritating your skin, skip the washclothes, sponges, and loofahs. Instead, use your hands to gently splash water on the treated skin.
How to reduce side effects of radiation?
You can reduce the risk of side effects by following these tips: Wash the treated skin gently every day with warm water. Washing helps remove bacteria from your skin, which can cause an infection.
How to get rid of a rash from cancer?
This can irritate your skin, which could cause a painful rash. Apply moisturizer every day as directed. This helps your skin recover more quickly from treatment, but don’t apply moisturizer to a wound. Be sure to use only the moisturizer that your cancer team recommends, and apply it as directed.
How to heal a wound after cancer treatment?
Apply moisturizer every day as directed. This helps your skin recover more quickly from treatment, but don’t apply moisturizer to a wound. Be sure to use only the moisturizer that your cancer team recommends, and apply it as directed.
What is the job of a dermatologist?
Dermatologists treat skin problems caused by cancer treatment. As the skin, hair, and nail specialist, dermatologists are often called upon to treat reactions caused by cancer treatment. They are familiar with the many reactions that can occur during and years after cancer therapy.
How to clean your face with low pH?
If not, ask. When using a cleanser, gently apply it with your hands and rinse it off with warm water. Again, you don’t want to use a washcloth or sponge, which can irritate your skin.
What to do if you don't remember sunscreen?
Your care team will recommend skin care products that you can use, including sunscreen. If you don’t remember getting a recommendation for sunscreen, ask someone on your care team which sunscreen you should use. Seek shade when outdoors.