Radiation Therapy

What are the side effects of radiation therapy?
There are many side effects as that would depend on the health history of the person, stated physio Sydney. One side effect would be fatigue or getting tired easily. You know you are getting fatigued when you walk a few steps and you are suddenly tired. Another side effect is getting skin problems as you may experience a little bit of scratching when it comes to your sensitive skin. Those are the short-term effects which means they can disappear without you having to do anything about it. There are also long-term effects like having consistent pain in the neck and abdominal area. When you experience pain, better go see a doctor.

New Linear Accelerators in Radiation Oncology. One at DFCI and and one at BWH. This one is at DFCI with lab technician Melinda Morkeski, RTT

Is radiation treatment painful?
Due to the presence of radiation, it would be best to use anesthesia during the entire procedure. Yes, it is better to be safe than sorry. After using anesthesia, most people don’t feel any effects but some people do feel a little discomfort after it. Without anesthesia, you are going to be risking a lot and you will certainly feel a lot of pain while the procedure is going on. Anesthesia may be a bit expensive but it will be worth it once it gets applied to your body.

What is the success rate of radiation therapy?
The success rate for 5 years is 27% which is not bad considering the sickness the patient is feeling. It is pretty much make it or break it so it was still good news that improvements were made in the patient’s condition. Cancer is a pretty serious condition so any other methods were pretty much in the same success rate. There has been no discovered cure for it and there does not seem to be one in the future.

How does radiation therapy work?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation waves to destroy cancer cells. The way these things work would depend on how strong the cancer cells inside your body are. Some cancer cells spread rapidly though so it would be hard to break down those cells. This procedure is pretty expensive but it could have a strong effect on your cancer no matter what type it is. Surely, when you are sick with something like that, you are going to be desperate for ways to cure it.

What should you avoid during radiation?
There are a lot of foods you must avoid eating during radiation like unwashed vegetables and undercooked sushi. Thus, it would be best to ask your doctor what you can and can’t eat during the radiation process. You may find out too late that you are not supposed to eat what you are currently eating.

Is radiation worse than chemo?
Chemo treats tumor while radiation also affects the normal cells. Good thing, normal cells can fix themselves while cancel cells can’t so there is no need for radiation to choose the cells they will destroy. When your body has lost a lot of cells, it is pretty much dangerous.