Radiotherapy to your head and neck area can make you lose weight because you might have: a sore or dry mouth. a poor appetite. taste changes due to treatment.
Many cancer patients lose weight unexpectedly during radiation therapy because they struggle with side effects caused from treatment. Maintaining proper nutrition during radiation therapy can increase your chances of successful treatment and improve your quality of life during and after treatment.
Loss of appetite
Feeling sick and tired during radiotherapy can make you lose your appetite, which could lead to weight loss. But it's important to try to eat healthily and maintain your weight during treatment. Tell your care team if you do not feel you're eating enough.
Weight loss was significant (t-test two-paired, p-value <0.001) and ranged from 1.1% to 18.9%. It can be said that one in two cancer patients (47.8%) experienced a critical weight loss. In high doses and advanced disease, the risk of severe weight loss was higher (Table 2).
Cancer cells demand more energy than healthy cells, so your body may burn more calories at rest than it normally would. The cells also release substances that affect how your body uses calories from food, which also can contribute to weight loss.
For many people, weight loss is the first visible sign of cancer. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology: When first diagnosed with cancer, about 40 percent of people report an unexplained weight loss. Up to 80 percent of people with advanced cancer undergo weight loss and wasting.
Some types of cancer may make it difficult to swallow food, contributing to weight loss.
The radiation stays in the body for anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Most people receive internal radiation therapy for just a few minutes. Sometimes, internal radiation therapy can be given for more time. If so, they stay in a private room to limit other people's exposure to radiation.
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.
Radiation therapy usually does not have an immediate effect, and it could take days, weeks or months to see any change in the cancer. The cancer cells may keep dying for weeks or months after the end of treatment. It may be some time before you know whether the radiation therapy has controlled the cancer.
Radiation not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells, it can also affect nearby healthy cells. Damage to healthy cells can cause side effects. Many people who get radiation therapy have fatigue. Fatigue is feeling exhausted and worn out.
Most people start to feel tired after a few weeks of radiation therapy. This happens because radiation treatments destroy some healthy cells as well as the cancer cells. Fatigue usually gets worse as treatment goes on. Stress from being sick and daily trips for treatment can make fatigue worse.
Feeling very tired and lacking energy (fatigue) for day-to-day activities is the most common side effect of radiation therapy to any area of the body. During treatment, your body uses a lot of energy dealing with the effects of radiation on normal cells.
Metabolic Rewiring Upon Radiation of Tumors
Although malignant oncogene activation or loss of function of tumor suppressors alters the metabolism, radiation itself may also enhance metabolic alterations by influencing different signaling pathways.
In some cases, the bladder and bowel are damaged by radiation to the pelvis, and these changes can also impact sexual health. If the ovaries get a large dose of radiation, they may stop working. Sometimes this is just for a short time, but often it's permanent.
Try to eat small, frequent meals and snacks throughout the day. Use smaller plates and cups as typical-sized portions often seem overwhelming. Try adding calorie-dense, nutritious foods such as nut butters and avocados to your diet. Smoothies and soups are good sources of necessary liquids and lots of nutrients.
Daily preparation - CT and treatment
When you attend for your CT planning scan and daily treatment, your radiographers will ask you to empty your bladder. They will then ask you to drink 500ml of water. This helps to ensure you have a comfortably full bladder. It is important that you drink the water quickly.
Try high-protein foods that may taste better cold or at room temperature. Examples include cheese or cottage cheese plates; macaroni salads with shrimp, ham or cheese; tuna, egg, ham or chicken salad; cold meat or luncheon meat sandwiches; or cold salmon.
Some cancers are difficult to treat and have high rates of recurrence. Glioblastoma, for example, recurs in nearly all patients, despite treatment. The rate of recurrence among patients with ovarian cancer is also high at 85%.
Typically, people have treatment sessions 5 times per week, Monday through Friday. This schedule usually continues for 3 to 9 weeks, depending on your personal treatment plan. This type of radiation therapy only targets the tumor. But it will affect some healthy tissue surrounding the tumor.
If you're losing weight without trying and you're concerned about it, consult your health care provider. As a rule of thumb, losing more than 5% of your weight over 6 to 12 months may indicate a problem.
Not all cancer patients lose a lot of weight. In fact, there are some cancers that result in weight gain during treatment. Certain types of chemotherapy, hormone therapy and medicines, such as steroids, can cause the body to retain fluids or increase a patient's appetite so that they eat more, causing weight gain.
Cheese, ice cream, canned fruit in heavy syrup, dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter with crackers, cheese with crackers, muffins, cottage cheese and chocolate milk are examples of high-calorie snacks requiring little or no preparation.