What You Didn’t Know About Radiotherapy?

Cancer is a hard battle to fight but, having a positive attitude, access to the best treatment, and a solid support system helps overcome all odds. The side effects of radiotherapy are a price you have to pay for your survival.

This therapy uses high-energy x-rays to destroy your cancerous cells. A radiation oncologist administers the treatment as per a specific schedule and over a set period.

Radiation therapy aims to slowly destroy cancerous tumour growth while safeguarding nearby healthy tissue. Besides shrinking tumours, this therapy also keeps related symptoms in check, allowing you to lead a quality life.

Effective Treatment

A majority of cancer patients are advised to undergo radiotherapy. Certain cancers respond well to this line of treatment alone, while for other types, combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy, surgery, or immunotherapy is advisable.

The broad types of radiation therapy can be classified into:

• External-beam is a common type wherein the radiation targets external areas of your body, necessitating cancer treatment. Wearing form-fitting supports help you stay still during the radiotherapy session.
• Internal radiation or brachytherapy places radioactive material into the cancerous tumour or surrounding tissue. These implants can also be temporary but necessitate a hospital stay.

For over a century, cancer specialists have resorted to radiation therapy to treat different forms of cancer. The side effects of radiotherapy are not common across the board. They vary based on the type of cancer being treated, length of treatment, and the area exposed to the radiation therapy.

If one patient experienced severe symptoms, you might get away with milder or no after-effects at all. Fatigue and nausea commonly occur after a radiation session, but these early side effects do not last long. The side effects do not demand treatment in a hospital, so you have one less area of concern.

Radiotherapy Warrants Monitoring

It is normal to feel anxious before undergoing radiotherapy. Speaking to your medical specialist will prepare you for this effective form of cancer treatment. Your radiation oncologist monitors your progress during the treatment cycle and reworks the plan if the need arises.

On completion of the radiation therapy treatment, follow-up appointments with your oncologist are scheduled. The primary purpose is to check on your recovery and keep a watch on treatment side effects. Follow-up visits become less frequent as your body heals post radiotherapy.

Area is Marked

Before the treatment is administered, the medical representative tattoos tiny dots surrounding the affected area. This is done to direct the radiotherapy over the tumour region. Accordingly, the machine is positioned, so it solely targets the infected section.

The skin covering the area in the direct line of radiotherapy will begin to break down after treatment. In simpler terms, it becomes sensitive, appears red, and reveals open burns. Rubbing some healing ointment over this region of skin does bring relief.

Radiotherapy is only prescribed when its overall benefits outweigh the risk of potential side effects.

Entrust your treatment to a reputed name specializing in radiation therapy.