Diagnostics

What Is Radiotherapy? What Is Radiation Therapy?

of instantly modifying the treatment dose as tumors change in size and shift, say researchers at the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands. What are the side effects of radiotherapy? As radiotherapy inevitably damages some healthy cells most patients will experience side effects. Their severity and duration will depend on: *What part of the body was targeted *The radiation dose *The speed of recovery of the damaged cells On some occasions side-effects may be felt during a radiotherapy procedure, while others may not emerge for weeks, and even months. Below are some of the side-effects most commonly reported by patients: *Fatigue - the most common symptom. Often felt before the whole radiotherapy course ends. If doctors determine that it is caused by anemia (lack of red blood cells) they may order a blood transfusion. Experts say that light exercise can sometimes help relieve symptoms as well as accelerating recovery. *Diarrhea - if the beams were aimed at the abdomen diarrhea is a common side effect. Patients commonly report symptoms within a few days of the commencement of treatment. As the radiotherapy course progresses symptoms may get worse. The patient will usually get better a few weeks after treatment is completed. If there is blood in the stools the doctor must be told straight away. *Heart disease - this is a risk if the heart is in the line of fire of the radiation beam, as might be the case in some breast cancer treatments - when the breast tumor is on the left side a small part of the heart is within the treatment range. Scientists from the University of Leicester, England, found a way to identify breast cancer patients at risk of heart disease after radiotherapy. *Nausea - this may occur at any time during the course of treatment, or a short time afterwards. It is important to tell your doctor because it is easily treatable with medication. *Muscle and joint stiffness - this may also be accompanied by swelling in the area that received the energy beams. If symptoms are severe the doctor may refer the patient to a physical therapist (UK/Australia: physiotherapist). *Sore skin - areas that were hit by the radiation beam may become reddened and sore. Patients should protect that area of skin from sunlight and cold winds, as well as from perfumed soaps. Scratching and rubbing will irritate the skin more. *Lower libido (lower sex drive) - this may affect both male and female patients. Their ability to participate in sex may also be affected. *Women - A woman"s vagina may become narrower if the beams are aimed at that area - a vaginal dilator will help prevent this narrowing. Experts say that regular sex after treatment will help prevent vaginal narrowing too. Vaginal dryness is also possible. *Men - If the beams are aimed at the pelvic or genital area, as may be the case with prostate cancer treatment, nerve bundles involved in erectile function may be affected and the man may have problems either getting or sustaining an erection. This side effect is usually temporary. *Fertility problems *Women - if the beams are aimed at the pelvic area there is a risk of early menopause and infertility. If the patient is young she needs to discuss this with her doctor beforehand. Some of the eggs may be removed and stored if the patient does not need radiotherapy immediately. It is important to remember that radiation therapy to other parts of the body do not have the same risk. *Men - although the risk of infertility is usually lower for men than for women, there is still a risk. It is important to talk to the radiologist beforehand. Male sperm can be stored. *Loss of appetite - patients who experience fatigue and nausea usually don"t feel like eating. If the radiation was aimed at the head, neck or chest it might be difficult to swallow. Changing from the standard three meals-a-day regime to many little meals may help. Drinking through a straw may make drinking easier. *Dry mouth (xerostomia) - if the therapy targeted the head, neck or mouth the salivary glands may produce less saliva. The glands will usually recover after treatment, although this may take several months. A small number of patients never recover. The doctor may prescribe a medication for this, such as Pilocarpine (Salagen). Remember that alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes dry the mouth. *Hair loss - some patients may develop temporary alopecia (hair loss). Although losing hair has does not damage the health, some people may find it distressing and embarrassing. If you lose your hair and find it affects you, consider the following steps below: *Ask your doctor to refer you to a counselor who is trained at helping people work problems through. *Go to a local cancer support group meeting. Talking to people who share similar experiences to yourself may help. *Consider getting a wig. Many patients have reported that it helped them a lot. How sensitive are cancers to radiotherapy? *Highly radiosensitive cancer cells - these are destroyed with modest doses of radiation. Examples are leukemias, most lymphomas, and germ cell tumors. However, as leukemia is all over the body and radiation therapy cannot be beamed everywhere, it is not generally curable with radiotherapy. If the lymphoma is localized in one area of the body the chances of a cure with radiotherapy are much higher. *Moderately radiosensitive cancer cells - these require a higher dose to achieve a cure. Radiotherapy is commonly used during the early stages of these cancers: non-melanoma skin cancer, head and neck cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, cervical cancer, anal cancer, and prostate cancer. *Highly radioresistant cancer cells - these require a very high dose. Examples are renal cell cancer and melanoma. Metastatic cancers, regardless of how radiosensitive they are, are usually incurable with radiotherapy because one cannot treat the whole body. Small tumors respond better to radiation therapy than large ones. In order to overcome this problem surgical resection is sometimes performed, or chemotherapy is used to shrink or remove most of the tumor before radiotherapy. Some drugs may make the tumor more radiosensitive, such as Cisplatin, Nimorazole, and Cetuximab. Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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