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.
Often the side effects are worse at the end of treatment, or even a week or two afterwards, because it takes time for the healthy cells to recover from radiation. Most side effects are temporary and go away in time, usually within a few weeks of treatment finishing.
Reactions to radiation therapy often start during the second or third week of treatment. Or, they may last for several weeks after the final treatment. Some side effects may be long term.
The tiredness often reaches its maximum 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.
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.
Many people who get radiation therapy have fatigue. Fatigue is feeling exhausted and worn out. It can happen all at once or come on slowly. People feel fatigue in different ways and you may feel more or less fatigue than someone else who is getting the same amount of radiation therapy to the same part of the body.
Radiotherapy with the aim of curing cancer usually lasts between 1 to 7 weeks. For radiotherapy to relieve symptoms, you might have anything between a single treatment to 2 weeks of treatment. It might be longer than this. Your doctor will tell you how many treatments you'll have.
Often the side effects are worse at the end of treatment, or even a week or two afterwards, because it takes time for the healthy cells to recover from radiation. Most side effects are temporary and go away in time, usually within a few weeks of treatment finishing.
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.
The cell cycle phase also determines a cell's relative radiosensitivity, with cells being most radiosensitive in the G(2)-M phase, less sensitive in the G(1) phase, and least sensitive during the latter part of the S phase.
Have a soft or liquid diet if swallowing is difficult. 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.
Radiotherapy is usually given as a number of individual treatments delivering a small dose of radiation daily over several weeks. Most people have 5 treatments a week (one treatment a day from Monday to Friday), with a break at the weekend.
Late side effects include: permanent loss of saliva; osteoradionecrosis; radiation recall myositis, pharyngoesophageal stenosis; dental caries; oral cavity necrosis; fibrosis; impaired wound healing; skin changes and skin cancer; lymphedema; hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, lightheadedness, dizziness and headaches; ...
Fatigue is the most common acute side effect of radiation therapy. It is believed to be caused by the large amount of energy that is used by the body to heal itself in response to radiation therapy. Most people begin to feel fatigued about 2 weeks after radiation treatments begin.
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.
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.
Most people feel little to no discomfort during this treatment. But some may experience weakness or nausea from the anesthesia. You will need to take precautions to protect others from radiation exposure. Your radiation therapy team will provide these instructions.
Following chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, patients often experience metabolic changes, such as weight gain. Breast cancer and prostate cancer therapies, in particular, can slow metabolism and contribute to weight gain. Steroids may lead to inflammation and weight gain.
Previous studies have shown a three-week course of radiation therapy is as safe and effective as conventional six-week therapy for patients with a low risk of tumor recurrence, but patients who are at higher risk for tumor recurrence need an additional radiation boost to the lumpectomy site.
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.
Radiation therapy can cause cumulative fatigue (fatigue that increases over time). This can occur regardless of treatment site. Cancer fatigue usually lasts from 3-4 weeks after treatment stops, but can continue for up to 2-3 months.
Breast cancer: Women with breast cancer have an overall 30% chance of recurrence. Many cases happen within five years of completing the initial treatment. Cervical cancer: Of those with invasive cervical cancer, an estimated 35% will have a recurrence.
Having fewer radiotherapy sessions can improve patients' quality of life—fewer treatment sessions may mean fewer unpleasant side effects, such as the skin irritation, loss of appetite, nausea and fatigue so often associated with cancer treatment.