Radiation Therapy Side Effects

There are many types of cancer treatment; the most effective type is radiation therapy.
All types of cancer treatments may cause side effects, also radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy side effects vary from person to person due to:

1. The type and location of cancer.

2. The person's health.

3. The treatment dose.

4. Other medicines the person is taking during radiation therapy such as;
      * vitamin or mineral supplements.
      * Herbal remedies and other natural health products.
      * Prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including creams and ointments.

For some persons, there are few or no radiation therapy side effects. For others, the radiation therapy side effects are more severe if they also receive chemotherapy before, during, or after their radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy side effects occur because the high doses of radiation used to destroy cancer cells can also damage healthy cells and tissues located near the treatment area. Your health care team will work with you to ease or prevent many of these radiation therapy side effects.
Most radiation therapy side effects go away within 2 months of finishing treatment. However, some radiation therapy side effects may continue after treatment is over because it takes time for healthy cells to recover from the effects of radiation therapy.

Common radiation therapy side effects:

1.The first radiation therapy side effects is Fatigue.  Fatigue associated with radiation therapy is different from fatigue from lack of sleep; it is a feeling of exhaustion that does not improve with rest. Your level of fatigue may depend on whether you are undergoing other treatments, such as chemotherapy. Fatigue usually occurs during or after the second week of radiation therapy. Symptoms of fatigue may increase or become more severe over the course of treatment. Fatigue usually goes away gradually after treatment has ended, but some people continue to feel tired for several weeks or months after radiation therapy.

2. The second radiation therapy side effects are skin problems, such as dryness, itching, blistering, or peeling. These issues usually resolve a few weeks after treatment has finished. If skin damage from radiation treatment becomes a serious problem, the doctor may change the dose or schedule of treatments.

3. The third radiation therapy side effects are Hair loss which can begin about 2–3 weeks after radiation therapy starts. Smaller doses of radiation usually result in temporary hair loss. Permanent hair loss is more common at higher doses.