| Radiation therapy which can also be called | | | | may be long term. These side effects are normally |
| radiotherapy is a way of treating cancer by ionizing | | | | close to the area where the treatment takes place. |
| radiation. Normally this type of therapy is used for | | | | One is the damage to your skin, pharyngeal, or |
| adjuvant or curative cancers. But it can also be used | | | | urothelium. Your skin may begin to turn pink and as |
| as a palliative treatment, this is when a cure isn't | | | | the treatment continues it may get worse. If the |
| going to happen, and it's used for relief of symptoms. | | | | treatment is done around the head the patient's |
| Another option is a total body irradiation which is | | | | mouth or throat may become sore. Pain killers may |
| used to get someone ready for a bone marrow | | | | be given to help out with these problems. There may |
| transplant. | | | | also be nausea or diarrhea experienced as well. |
| This therapy is used to fight malignant cancer or it | | | | Swelling may also occur. If a person is being treated |
| may be used in combination with a surgery, chemo, | | | | for brain tumors this may create a problem that will |
| or even hormone therapy. In order to avoid doing | | | | have to be fixed by surgery. Another side effect is |
| damage to other organs and skin several beams are | | | | infertility in both males and females while another side |
| aimed at different angles. This will hit the tumor with | | | | effect is generalized fatigue. Tissue may become less |
| a bigger dose. | | | | elastic and you may experience hair loss as another |
| How does this therapy work? With the radiation | | | | side effect of radiation. A person going through |
| being applied to the cells it will damage the cells DNA. | | | | radiation therapy may experience dry mouth and |
| This damage when done to a cancer cell is | | | | eyes. Although radiation is used as a treatment of |
| productive in that it may kill them or make them | | | | cancer, it may also produce a side effect of cancer. |
| produce slower. A big drawback to this type of | | | | With chemotherapy your hair may grow back but |
| therapy is that it makes the tumors low in oxygen | | | | with radiation it's normally a permanent loss of hair. |
| which will cause hypoxia. When this happens the | | | | The best thing you can do for a person who is |
| tumors become less effective by the radiation. | | | | undergoing this type of treatment is just help them |
| Research has been done to find a way around this | | | | out with things around their house. Or just be with |
| problem but nothing has been found out yet. | | | | them when they don't feel good. Everyone needs |
| This type of therapy doesn't cause much pain and a | | | | someone to be with them when they are going |
| lot of the lower dose treatments actually have very | | | | through a tough time. Cancer can cause a lot of |
| few side effects if any. When you get to the higher | | | | different emotions and they will need you now more |
| doses there may be some side effects and some | | | | than ever. |