The early side effects appear toward the end of treatment or within a few weeks of finishing it, while the late ones can appear anywhere from six months to a year after you've completed treatment. The most common early side effects of radiation therapy in breast cancer patients are skin irritation and fatigue.
Side effects can happen any time during, immediately after or a few days or weeks after radiation therapy. Most side effects generally go away within a few weeks to 2 months of finishing treatment.
After your sessions are complete, it may be several days or weeks before side effects clear up. Common side effects during treatment may include: Mild to moderate fatigue. Skin irritation, such as itchiness, redness, peeling or blistering, similar to what you might experience with a sunburn.
Many people having radiotherapy feel tired (fatigued) a lot of the time or become tired very easily from doing everyday activities. This usually starts during treatment and can continue for several weeks or months after treatment finishes. It can help to: get plenty of rest.
The side effects of radiotherapy usually peak up to two weeks after treatment has finished. The effects of radiotherapy continue developing, and it may take a further couple of weeks to several months for you to feel normal, depending on the area of the body that has been treated.
Many patients are able to go to work, keep house, and enjoy leisure activities while they are receiving radiation therapy.” Others find that they need more rest than usual and therefore cannot do as much. You should try to do the things you enjoy, as long as you don't become too tired.
The soreness usually goes away within 2 to 4 weeks of ending the treatment. Towards the end of the radiotherapy, the skin might break down, especially under the breast. Your nurse will use special dressings to cover and protect the area. The area usually heals up over a couple of weeks.
During radiation treatment, the mean weight loss was 4.33 kg, and 53.6% (1303) patients had high weight loss (HWL; ΔW≥5%). The proportion of HWL was higher in patients with advanced T stage, N stage, high BMI level and who received chemotherapy.
Most people getting radiation therapy feel fatigued. It does not mean that your cancer is getting worse. It does not mean that the treatment is not working. In fact, it is normal to feel very tired during this time.
Many cancer patients lose weight unexpectedly during radiation therapy because they struggle with side effects caused from treatment. Maintaining proper nutrition during radiation therapy can increase your chances of successful treatment and improve your quality of life during and after treatment.
Radiation can give you fatigue that gets worse over time (called cumulative fatigue). It usually lasts 3 to 4 weeks after your treatment stops, but it can continue for up to 3 months.
You may start to notice side effects about 2 weeks after you start radiation therapy. They may get worse during your radiation therapy, but they'll slowly get better over 6 to 8 weeks after your last treatment. Some side effects may take longer to go away.
Radiotherapy side effects tend to get worse as you progress through your treatment. So you might not feel tired at the beginning of your course but might do towards the end and for a few weeks afterwards. It's impossible to predict who will feel tired during treatment, some do and others don't.
Some people who receive radiation therapy experience dryness, itching, blistering, or peeling on the skin in the area being treated. Skin changes from radiation therapy usually go away a few weeks after treatment ends. If skin damage becomes a serious problem, your doctor may change your treatment plan.
What should patients expect after treatment? Most patients will experience some radiation therapy side effects, such as appetite changes, fatigue, insomnia and skin irritation. Often these are manageable. Side effects vary from patient to patient and depend on where radiation is delivered.
Avoid alcohol – it can make a sore mouth or sensitive digestion worse. Avoid spicy foods if your mouth or throat are sore. Ask your radiotherapy team about potential problems and how to try to prevent them.
Radiation therapy to the head and neck can cause side effects that make it difficult to take in adequate amounts of food and fluids. These side effects include loss of appetite, changes in taste or loss of taste, painful chewing and swallowing, mouth sores, dry mouth and nausea.
Radiation resistance is a serious issue in radiotherapy. Increasing evidence indicates that the human gut microbiome plays a role in the development of radiation resistance. Vitamin D is an important supplement for cancer patients treated with radiotherapy.
You may have aches, twinges or sharp pains in the breast or chest area. These are usually mild. They may continue for months or years, but they usually become milder and less frequent over time. You may also have stiffness and discomfort around the shoulder and breast or chest area during and after treatment.
Fatigue significantly increased over the course of treatment, was highest at the last week of treatment, and returned to pretreatment levels by 3 months after treatment. Fatigue was not influenced by the patient's age, stage of disease, time since surgery, weight, and length of time since diagnosis.
Breast cancer surgery, and sometimes radiotherapy, may make your chest area feel particularly sensitive. Wearing a bra may make you feel more comfortable, but this isn't always the case. Your surgeon or breast care nurse may advise you on what bra to wear depending on the type of surgery you have had.
Skin changes usually occur one to two weeks after your treatment begins and may last one to two weeks after your last treatment. You may shower or bathe throughout your radiation therapy. Your nurse will recommend a mild soap for you to use. It is important to keep skin folds clean and dry.
Radiotherapy can cause tiredness because the body is using up your energy reserves to repair healthy cells damaged by the radiotherapy. If you are taking steroids, you might also find that you feel extremely tired when you stop taking them. Travelling to the hospital each day for treatment can also make you tired.
That's because while these therapies are intended to kill cancer cells, they can cause damage to the body in the process. You will likely feel fatigued as your body repairs this damage.