Yes, 2 weeks of radiation can be enough, especially for certain cancers or palliative care, but typically radiation lasts longer (5-8 weeks) by breaking the dose into smaller daily sessions (fractions) to protect healthy cells; however, techniques like hypofractionation deliver higher doses over shorter periods (like 1-3 weeks), so the duration depends entirely on the cancer type, stage, location, and treatment goals, determined by your oncology team.
Treatments are usually given five days a week for six to seven weeks. If the goal of treatment is palliative (to control symptoms) treatment will last 2-3 weeks in length. Using many small doses (fractions) for daily radiation, rather than a few large doses, helps to protect the healthy cells in the treatment area.
Most people start feeling fatigued after a few weeks of radiation therapy. It usually gets worse as treatment goes on. It can last a long time and get in the way of normal activities, but it usually goes away over time after treatment ends.
External radiotherapy is typically given daily, from Monday to Friday, for five to eight weeks, with breaks on the weekends to allow healthy cells to recover. The length of treatment may vary depending on the specific tumor and the location.
Joint pain and stiffness
Radiation therapy and some medications can cause inflammation in your joints. Some chemotherapy drugs cause joint pain (arthralgia).
What exercises can help prevent or manage knee pain? Walking is excellent exercise, not only for the knee, but also for the cardiovascular system. Many cardiologists suggest that a brisk 30 minute walk three times a week is more beneficial for the heart than high intensity gym exercises.
Radiation Therapy to a bone can cause some inflammation or swelling in the area being treated. This can result in a worsening of the pain you have (called “flare of pain”) that may start a few hours or even a few days after your treatment. Flare of pain can last up to days or even a few weeks.
Radiation therapy usually does not have an immediate effect, and it could take days, weeks or months to see any change in the cancer.
Do not put anything hot or cold (such as heating pads or ice packs) on the treatment area. Do not squeeze or scratch pimples. Do not wash or scrub off any markings used to target radiation therapy until after the last treatment. Rinse well after swimming in a pool because chlorine can dry the skin.
Drinking lots of water and staying active can help patients flush radiation out of their systems faster. Not only this, but increasing your fiber intake is also a great way to increase the amount of radiation released from your body.
The tiredness often reaches its peak 1 to 2 weeks after the end of treatment. A small number of people are asleep for a lot of the day after a long course of radiotherapy to the brain. This called somnolence syndrome.
Once your course of radiation therapy is finished, continuing to take good care of yourself is essential. No matter what type of cancer you've had, you will need regular checkups and perhaps lab tests and X-rays to determine how successful the treatment was and if you need additional therapy.
Radiation therapy side effects: 5 tips to cope
Preparing for Treatment
At the same time, if a cell doesn't divide, it also cannot grow and spread. For tumors that divide slowly, the mass may shrink over a long, extended period after radiation stops.
Radiotherapy often sees fewer, less severe, side effects than chemotherapy, though once it's used on a particular area of the body, the radiation dose limits the amount of times this treatment can be administered.
Fluids for Hydration
Becoming dehydrated during radiation treatment is common, so it's important you increase your fluid intake. Fluids are essential for energy, organ function, healing, and combating fatigue. Water, juices, broths, sports drinks, and popsicles are all great sources of hydration.
For reducing radiation exposure, there are 3 principals: time, distance, and shielding.
Both dose and dose rate contribute to the severity of acute radiation syndrome. The effects of dose fractionation or rest periods before repeated exposure also shift the LD50 dose upwards.
For example, the following tissues and organs are listed from most radiosensitive to least radiosensitive:
Overall, there are five basic steps of radiation therapy that we can share to give patients an idea of what to expect. These steps include initial consultation, simulation, treatment planning, treatment delivery and post treatment follow-up. Consultation is the first step of the radiation therapy process.
Doctors watch for certain signs to see if radiation therapy is working. One key sign is tumor shrinkage. This means the tumor is getting smaller, as seen on scans like CT or MRI. Other signs include changes in tumor markers and better organ function.
In addition, radiation treatment may produce various types of postradiation chronic pain syndromes, including peripheral nerve entrapment, radiculopathy, myelopathy, noncardiac chest pain, pelvic pain, osteonecrosis, and other soft-tissue damage at the sites exposed.
If pain persists after radiation therapy ends, try using mild pain medicines. Do not use a heating pad or warm compress to relieve pain in any area treated with radiation.
For example, when treating the brain, you may experience hair loss on your head, but you would not be itchy on your chest due to brain radiation. Side effects generally begin 1-2 weeks into treatment and may peak 1-2 weeks after treatment is completed, then healing will begin.