FAQ

Question 1

What are the Risks and Side Effects associated with Radiotherapy?

Accepted Answer

As we know, every treatment associated with cancer has its own set of side effects. In Radiotherapy, high doses of radiation beams kill the cancerous cells in and around the tumor.
The side effects of radiotherapy emerge as they damage the healthy tissues around the treatment area.
As Radiotherapy has advanced by leaps and bounds in the last 20 years, the severity of side effects has reduced a lot. However, the severity of the side effects also differs from patient to patient.
Some patients experienced more side effects, and on the other hand, some patients experienced few or none of the side effects.
Your radiation oncologist will weigh the benefits of any treatment option against the side effects and determine what is best for you.
It is important to make sure that you inform your radiation oncologist about any side effects you are experiencing, be it minor or major.
This is because they will help you cope with it and make things easier for you by adjusting the doses of radiation.
Some side effects of radiotherapy are Anemia, Depression, Fatigue, Hair Loss, Skin Problems, etc.

Question 2

Do I lose weight when undergoing radiation therapy?

Accepted Answer

The effects of radiation and chemotherapy often result in a loss of appetite. They can also cause adverse effects, including nausea, vomiting, and mouth sores, which can make it difficult to eat properly, resulting in weight and muscle loss.

Question 3

After radiation therapy, what is the next step?

Accepted Answer

After completing your radiation therapy, you will visit your radiation oncologist for a follow-up appointment. Following that, you could do the following steps: If necessary, meet with other care teams for extra therapy. For supportive care, you can meet with the cancer survival team.

Question 4

When it comes to radiation therapy, what is the success rate?

Accepted Answer

Patients in the early stages of cancer may benefit from either brachytherapy or external beam radiation. With either technique, success rates of about 90% or greater can be attained.

Question 5

Is Radiotherapy a primary or a secondary option treatment for cancer?

Accepted Answer

Radiotherapy is neither a primary nor a secondary option treatment. All the treatment options available for cancer treatment, like – chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery, radiation therapy and so on, are used by international guidelines. Most types of cancer have a preset series of treatments according to those guidelines. These guidelines even dictate the order of the treatment and the choices of treatment options available to them.

Question 6

What are the benefits of this therapy?

Accepted Answer

The benefits of Radiotherapy are as follows:

In the case of breast, bowel, prostate, bladder, lung, cervix, skin, and head & neck cancers, radiation therapy is highly effective in reducing the risk of recurrence post-surgery or aids in helping the execution of the surgery.

The cancers mentioned in the 1st point have both surgery and radiation therapy as treatment options. In Surgery, the organ affected by cancer is either partially or completely removed, which hampers its functionality. Sometimes Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy are used to eliminate the cancer cells, thereby saving the functionality of the organs.

You won’t lose hair from your head as you do in chemotherapy. However, you only lose hair at the irradiation site and nowhere else.

Question 7

Who are the people involved in the Radiation Therapy team?

Accepted Answer

- Radiation Oncologist who will decide the course of treatment and the doses of radiation to be given.

- Medical Oncologist who will be prescribing the anti-cancer drugs for your treatment.

- Medical Physicists will focus on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as ensuring quality services and prevention of risks during the radiotherapy treatment.

- Dosimetrist who works closely with the radiation oncologist and medical physicist to develop the treatment plan.

- Radiotherapists operate the machines that give you your radiotherapy treatment.

- Nursing staff or a team of nurses will look after your general needs like dressings, medicines and information about coping with side effects.

- Social workers who addresses any social or psychological needs that may arise prior to, during or after treatment.

Question 8

What are the different types of Radiotherapy used?

Accepted Answer

The two types of radiotherapy are:

External Beam Radiation Therapy
Internal Radiotherapy/ Brachytherapy

For further reference regarding the types of radiotherapy, Click Here.

Question 9

How to know when External Beam or Internal Beam Radiotherapy is required?

Accepted Answer

Just like any other cancer treatment, the usage of either External Beam Radiotherapy or Internal Beam Radiotherapy depends on the international guidelines around the treatment of a cancer. But in a general sense, Internal Beam Radiotherapy/ Brachytherapy is used in earlier stages of cancer where the tumour is small. External Beam Radiotherapy can be used for both earlier stages of cancer as well as its advanced stages.

Question 10

What are the side - effects of Radiotherapy? What are the chances of contracting a secondary cancer as a side – effect?

Accepted Answer

The side effects of radiotherapy are dependent on the site of radiation on the patients. But there are common side effects which are listed below:

1) Anemia

2) Depression

3) Fatigue

4) Hair Loss and Redness and Skin Problems at the site of radiation

5) Infection/Fever

6) Low Blood Counts

7) Mouth Sores

8) Nausea and Vomiting

9) Neutropenia

10) Pain

11) Low Sex drive

12) Thrombocytopenia

Talking about secondary cancers, Radiation therapy was recognized as a potential cause of cancer many years ago. But with the advancement of radiotherapy machines and the treatment method, the chances of secondary cancer dwindled over time. Secondary cancers develop when the radiation doses are above the target tolerance limit. It is always made sure that your target area is irradiated within the tolerance limit. So, secondary cancers have a small chance of occurring.

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