Other names for radiation treatment are radiation therapy , radiotherapy , irradiation , and x-ray therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, or protons, to destroy or damage cancer cells.
Your cells normally grow and divide to form new cells. But cancer cells grow and divide faster than most normal cells. Radiation works by making small breaks in the DNA inside cells.
These breaks keep cancer cells from growing and dividing and cause them to die. Nearby normal cells can also be affected by radiation, but most recover and go back to working the way they should.
While chemotherapy and other treatments that are taken by mouth or injection usually expose the whole body to cancer-fighting drugs, radiation therapy is usually a local treatment. Radiation treatments are planned so that they damage cancer cells with as little harm as possible to nearby healthy cells.
Some radiation treatments systemic radiation therapy use radioactive substances that are given in a vein or by mouth. More than half of people with cancer get radiation therapy.
Sometimes, radiation therapy is the only cancer treatment needed and sometimes it's used with other types of treatment. The decision to use radiation therapy depends on the type and stage of cancer, and other health problems a patient might have. Still, radiation therapy can be used to treat many types of cancer either alone or in combination with other treatments.
While it's important to remember each cancer and each person is different, radiation is often the treatment of choice for the following purposes. Some are described below. Your skin may become red and sore in the area being treated a few days or weeks into a course of radiotherapy, or for up to a couple of weeks afterwards.
Your treatment team will advise about the best way of caring for your skin during treatment. If your skin becomes sore, you should try not to irritate it further. For example:. You may feel tired both during and after radiotherapy. If you feel tired, make sure you give yourself time to rest, and take naps if necessary. Tiredness is particularly common towards the end of a course of radiotherapy and can last for some time afterwards.
Doctors believe it is due to the body repairing damage to healthy cells. A shortage of red blood cells anaemia can also contribute to tiredness during radiotherapy. Therefore, blood tests may be required during radiotherapy for some cancers, to ensure you're not becoming anaemic. If you have anaemia, you may need a blood transfusion.
Most people aren't sick during radiotherapy. However, some people feel sick during, or for a short time after, their treatment. If you experience nausea, your doctor may be able to prescribe medication to help control it. Radiotherapy to your abdomen tummy area or pelvic area may make you sick. This can last a few days after your treatment stops. Anti-sickness medication can be taken to help this. If you have difficulty eating, you may find it easier to eat several small meals throughout the day.
You can also speak to your radiotherapist, who may refer you to a dietitian nutritional specialist. Diarrhoea is a common side effect of radiotherapy to the abdomen or pelvic area. It usually starts a few days after treatment begins and gradually gets worse as treatment continues. Medication is available. After your treatment has finished, diarrhoea should disappear within a few weeks. You should tell your doctor if your symptoms haven't improved after a few weeks, or if you notice any blood in your stools faeces.
Hair loss is a common side effect of radiotherapy to your head or neck. Unlike chemotherapy , radiotherapy only causes hair loss in the area being treated. Many people find losing their hair distressing and difficult to cope with.
Talk to your family and friends about how you're feeling, so they can support you. Your treatment team may also be able to offer advice. A few weeks after finishing treatment, your hair should start to grow back. In some cases, the hair grows back a different colour or texture to how it was before.
Radiotherapy to the chest can cause the tube through which food passes the oesophagus to become temporarily inflamed, which may cause temporary discomfort when swallowing. If required, your doctor can prescribe medication to help soothe this.
You should avoid eating hot or spicy food and drinking acidic drinks or spirits during this time, because they can aggravate the problem. Having radiotherapy may cause you to temporarily lose interest in sex , particularly if you have other side effects, such as tiredness or nausea, or if you're anxious about your condition or treatment. Radiotherapy to the vaginal area may cause your vagina to become sore and narrower.
Your radiotherapist will tell you how to treat this using a vaginal dilator, which is a device inserted into your vagina to help prevent it narrowing. Having sex regularly after your treatment can also help to prevent your vagina narrowing.
If you experience vaginal dryness or pain when having sex, you can use lubricants or ask your GP or radiotherapist to prescribe appropriate medication. Read more about the effects of radiotherapy on female sex and fertility on the Cancer Research UK website. In men, temporary erectile dysfunction and loss of interest in sex are common side effects of pelvic radiotherapy. Read more about the effects of radiotherapy on male sex and fertility on the Cancer Research UK website.
Radiotherapy can sometimes cause your muscles to tighten up and your joints to become stiff in the area being treated. You may also experience uncomfortable swelling in the affected area. Exercising regularly can help to prevent stiffness. If you have stiff joints and muscles, your doctor or radiotherapist may refer you to a physiotherapist, who will recommend suitable exercises. It's rare to develop severe, long-term side effects as a result of radiotherapy.
Your doctor will discuss your chance of experiencing side effects before you consent to treatment. In women, radiotherapy to the pelvic area exposes the ovaries to radiation. In pre-menopausal women, this may cause early menopause where a woman's monthly periods stop and infertility the inability to get pregnant.
This is often very upsetting, particularly for younger women who want to have a family. Before having treatment, your doctor will discuss all the options and available support with you.
For example, it may be possible for some of your eggs to be surgically removed, frozen and stored until you are ready to have a baby. However, this won't be possible if you need to have radiotherapy immediately, and it's not available on the NHS in all areas. Radiotherapy to the pelvic area or testicles can cause infertility in men, which may be temporary or permanent.
If there's a risk you could become infertile following radiotherapy, your doctor will discuss this with you before your treatment. It may be possible to store your sperm until you decide to have a baby, although this isn't always available on the NHS. Long-term changes to the skin can occur after having radiotherapy.
When radiotherapy is used Radiotherapy may be used in the early stages of cancer or after it has started to spread. It can be used to: try to cure the cancer completely curative radiotherapy make other treatments more effective — for example, it can be combined with chemotherapy or used before surgery neo-adjuvant radiotherapy reduce the risk of the cancer coming back after surgery adjuvant radiotherapy relieve symptoms if a cure is not possible palliative radiotherapy Radiotherapy is generally considered the most effective cancer treatment after surgery, but how well it works varies from person to person.
Information: Coronavirus advice Get advice about coronavirus and cancer treatment: Cancer Research UK: Coronavirus and cancer treatment Macmillan: Cancer treatment and coronavirus. Video: cancer treatment - what happens during radiotherapy?
The radiation therapist will position the individual in the machine and then go into a separate room. Although the person must try to stay still during the treatment, they generally do not have to hold their breath. The machine will make whirring, clicking, and vacuum cleaner-like noises. A speaker system in the room allows the person to talk with the radiation therapist during the treatment.
Once the catheter or applicator is in position, the doctor will place the radiation source inside it. In some cases, the implant may remain in the body for up to a few days before the doctor removes it. In others, the doctor may place the implant in the body for a shorter time, such as 10—20 minutes, and repeat the treatment periodically for as long as several weeks. Sometimes an implant remains in the body permanently, but it will stop releasing radiation after some time. When doctors use radiation therapy alongside other treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy , they call it adjuvant treatment.
Some people might receive radiation therapy before surgery to shrink a tumor and make it easier to remove. Other individuals might receive it after surgery to destroy cancer cells that the surgery may have missed. Sometimes, doctors use radiation therapy as part of palliative care to help relieve symptoms of advanced cancer. These may include :. The ACS states that the most common side effects from radiation therapy are:.
However, it notes that a person receiving radiation treatment can take steps to relieve these side effects. Radiation treatment alone may be enough to cure certain early stage cancers. However, the NCI notes that studies suggest that cancer treatment outcomes are better if a person receives both radiation and chemotherapy following surgery. It is important to note that a person cannot receive an unlimited amount of radiation. Therefore, doctors restrict the therapy to one part of the body and limit the total amount that a person receives over their lifetime.
Although radiation therapy itself generally does not cause pain, the treatment may cause painful side effects. A person should make their treatment team aware if they are in pain. It is advisable to discuss this possibility with a doctor before starting treatment. A person should weigh the potential risks and benefits when deciding on a cancer treatment.
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