Drink extra fluids to flush the radioactive material out of your body. No kissing or sexual contact (often for at least a week). Keep a distance away from others in your household. For example, you might be told to keep one arm's length, or maybe six feet, between yourself and others for a specific length of time.
Radiation therapy from a machine outside the body does not leave any radiation in the body, so your partner will not come in contact with it.
Cancer is NOT contagious
Close contact or things like sex, kissing, touching, sharing meals, or breathing the same air cannot spread cancer.
It's important not to rub, scrub or scratch any sensitive spots. Also avoid putting anything that is very hot or very cold—such as heating pads or ice packs—on your treated skin.
Chemotherapy can be found in saliva and vaginal secretions for 48-72 hours after treatment. During this time, do not do open-mouth kissing and use a condom or dental dam for oral sex or intercourse (vaginal or anal) so that your partner is not exposed.
There is no need to avoid being with other people because of your treatment. Even hugging, kissing or having sexual relations poses no radiation exposure risk for others. Side effects of radiation therapy most often are related to the area that is being treated.
It is generally safe to kiss others after chemotherapy as long as no active infection is present. However, it is crucial to practice proper hygiene and avoid close contact with people who are ill, to reduce the risk of infection.
However, you may have to limit contact with other people for up to one week after treatment. It is especially important to avoid close contact with children and women who are pregnant. Be sure to ask your treatment team what precautions you need to take.
External radiotherapy does not make you radioactive, as the radiation passes through your body. The radiation from implants or injections can stay in your body for a few days, so you may need to stay in hospital and avoid close contact with other people for a few days as a precaution.
But the radiation gradually disappears over several weeks or months until the source is no longer radioactive. The radiation doesn't travel very far from the treatment area. So it is usually safe to be with other people.
Having Sex During Your Cancer Treatment
We recommend using a barrier device (condom or dental dam) during treatment and for a week after each treatment during oral, vaginal, or anal sex to prevent your partner from being exposed to any medication that may be in your bodily fluids.
Tips for rebuilding intimacy during cancer care. Give yourself time. You and your partner will need time to adjust to the physical and emotional changes cancer causes. Be patient with yourself if certain side effects, such as stress, pain, depression or fatigue lower your desire for sexual activity.
Sexual activity will not make cancer spread, nor will it make the cancer come back. Chemotherapy drugs may stay in your partner's body fluids for some days. Using condoms or other barrier methods for a week after treatment can protect you from any potential risk. It will usually be safe to have sex after radiotherapy.
Any radiation therapy that is transient, including external beam radiation or brachytherapy that is removed, poses no risk to family members. For these types of therapy, patients are exposed to radiation only during active treatment, and radiation is not carried on the patient's body.
With internal radiation, you may need to avoid touching the patient until the implant is removed or limit the time you spend very close to them. With systemic radiation therapy, you may also have to avoid the person's bodily fluids for a few days after treatment.
Symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), or radiation sickness, may include nausea, vomiting, headache and diarrhea. These symptoms start within minutes to days after the exposure, can last for minutes up to several days, and may come and go.
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.
More than 60% of NPC patients receiving curative-intent radiotherapy suffered from a weight loss greater than 5% during the treatment [8], [9].
It is safe to touch other people while on chemotherapy. You can hug and kiss. But you do need to protect others from coming into contact with your medicine.
After radiotherapy
Some people find they feel low after finishing the treatment. It can take time to rebuild your confidence and accept what you have been through. It may also take time to recover from treatment. You may feel tired for a while and might have emotional changes or side effects to deal with.
The radioactive material will stay in your body for several hours or days, depending on the type that is used. Eventually, the material decays and your body naturally flushes it out through urine, sweat, and other forms of biological elimination.
So you need to make sure caregivers and others close to you are not exposed to your body fluids during chemo and for a few days after treatment. It's OK to have normal contact with other people, including hugging and kissing.
Other people and pets could be exposed to the drug waste for a few days if they come into contact with any of your body fluids. Here are things you can do to help keep your family, visitors, and pets safe during this time: If possible, have children use a different toilet than the one you use.
This is a very common concern. Patients who are receiving cancer medications pose no risk to children, pregnant women, or anyone else. Cancer treatment medications typically leave the body in urine, stool, and vomit for 48-72 hours after each treatment.