Effects Of Radiation Therapy On The Body

Radiation therapy treats cancer by using high energy waves to kill tumor cells. Other side effects depend on the part of the body that is being treated.

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Side effects are caused by damage to healthy cells.

Effects of radiation therapy on the body. The goal is to destroy or damage the cancer without hurting too many healthy cells. Medicine may be given to protect healthy tissue and prevent side effects of radiation therapy. This may cause side effects to happen anywhere in the body where radiation therapy is given.

Like surgery radiation therapy can be a local treatment. You can learn more about expected side effects to various areas of the body in how radiation therapy can affect different parts of the body. Fatigue as a side effect of radiation therapy may be unpleasant and frustrating but it is a sign the body is doing what it is supposed to do.

Your cancer care team can tell you about your treatment likely side effects and things you need to do to take care of yourself. Radiation therapy damages cancer cells. Radiation can come from a machine external radiation.

It affects cancer cells only in the treated area. Radiation therapy can be an important component of cancer treatment. This treatment can cause side.

Different cells and tissues in the body tolerate radiation differently. How are side effects of radiation therapy diagnosed and treated. Common side effects of radiation therapy include.

Depending of the area of the body being treated and the amount of radiation the body is exposed to radiation therapy affects the body in several ways. Learn more about possible side effects. Radiation therapy has side effects because it not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells it can also affect nearby healthy cells.

Your healthcare provider will ask you about your symptoms and decide if they are side effects. For example people do not usually lose their hair from having radiation therapy. Some side effects of radiation therapy like fatigue and skin problems can happen no matter what part of the body is being treated.

But radiation therapy to the scalp may cause hair loss. However it can cause mild to severe side effects for some patients. Healthy cells in the treatment area can also be damaged even though steps are taken to protect normal tissue as much as possible.

If the area treated is broader we say it is then a regional treatment. Many people who get radiation therapy experience fatigue. Radiation therapy not only damages and destroys the cancer cells but it also has this effect on the healthy cells around the cancerous cells.

Rarely the whole body is given radiation therapy for a systemic or total body effect. For more on this see coping with radiation treatment but radiation therapy can have other specific side effects depending on what area is being treated. Radiation therapy is a local treatment.

This means that it only affects the area of the body where the tumor is located.

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