A cough and breathlessness happen in some people who have radiotherapy to the chest area, but this is not common. The problems are due to changes in the lung tissue called chronic radiation pneumonitis. They might start many months or a few years after treatment.
Some people find radiotherapy makes them feel sick (nausea) or be sick (vomit). This is more likely if the treatment area is near the stomach or the brain. Sickness can usually be well controlled and stops once treatment is finished.
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.
Radiation therapy-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV) and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) are common and troublesome symptoms among patients with cancer.
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.
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.
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.
In time radiotherapy can cause the breast tissue to change shape or shrink in size a little. This can happen to your natural breast tissue or a reconstructed breast. After radiotherapy, the breast might feel hard and less stretchy. This is due to a side effect called radiation fibrosis.
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.
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.
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.
The radiation treatment procedure is painless, but it may cause some skin discomfort over time. When treating early-stage breast cancer, radiation therapy is often given after surgery. Surgery is done to remove the cancer, and radiation is done to destroy any cancer cells that may remain after surgery.
Fatigue is common during radiation therapy and may last for several weeks after treatment ends. Fatigue is mainly a short-term problem, but for some, it can persist [11-12]. You may feel like you don't have any energy and may feel tired all of the time. Resting may not help.
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.
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.
After radiotherapy, the skin of the breast may change colour. It may become darker with a blue or black tinge. It may also be more sensitive. It is important to protect the area from strong sunlight by covering up with clothes or using a sun cream with a high sun protection factor (SPF).
Very rarely, radiotherapy to the breast area can affect the lungs.
Avoid raw vegetables and fruits, and other hard, dry foods such as chips or pretzels. It's also best to avoid salty, spicy or acidic foods if you are experiencing these symptoms. Your care team can recommend nutrient-based oral care solutions if you are experiencing mucositis or mouth sores caused by cancer treatment.
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.
According to the Susan G. Komen® organization, women with early breast cancer most often develop local recurrence within the first five years after treatment. On average, 7 percent to 11 percent of women with early breast cancer experience a local recurrence during this time.
Cancer fatigue can make you feel tired, weak, listless, exhausted, or like you have no energy.