Know all about Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is the use of high energy x-rays and similar rays to treat disease. Radiotherapy is used as a treatment for over 100 years ago. Many people with cancer have radiotherapy as part of their treatment either external radiotherapy or internal radiotherapy. Radiotherapy works by destroying the cancer cells in the treated area .It might damage the normal cells but the side effects are very mild.
About your treatment
External radiotherapy is normally given as a daily treatment (Monday-Friday) in the radiotherapy department. Each treatment is called a fraction.
Giving the treatment in fractions ensures that less damage is done to normal cells.
The number of treatments you have depends on several factors like:
- Your general health.
- The type of cancer being treated
- Whether you have or are going to have surgery, chemotherapy, etc.
External radiotherapy is perfectly safe for you as it does not make you radioactive.
Internal radiotherapy is used to treat cancers mainly in the head, neck or the skin.
Treatment is given in one of two ways:
- By putting solid radioactive material inside the tumour (brachytherapy).
- By using a radioactive liquid, which is given either as a drink or as an injection (radioisotope treatment).
In this treatment you may have to stay in hospital for a few days and special precautions have to be taken.
General side effects of external radiotherapy
As stated earlier, side effects of radiotherapy are mild.There have been huge improvements in radiotherapy and severe side effects are very rare.
As radiotherapy affects people in different ways, it’s difficult to predict exactly how you will react to your treatment. Before you start, the staff will discuss with you any side effects, and give tips on how to deal with them.
Most side effects of radiotherapy disappear gradually after treatment. For some people however, they may continue for a few weeks.
Some common side effects:
- Tiredness
- Skin disease ( during external radiotherapy)
- Hair loss
- Change in your blood ( bone marrow)