Side Effects of Radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is one of modern medicine's most oft-used weapons in the fight against cancer. Because radiation is a local rather than systemic treatment, it is particularly effective for tumours which have not spread to other parts of the body. In order to target a specific area and use radiation more safely, several beams of radiation are aimed at the tumour from different angles, so that the intersection of all the beams provides the therapeutic levels of radiation. Nonetheless, over time, radioactive rays passing through certain types of tissues can cause noticeable effects. While radiation therapy doesn't generally bring about the systemic side effects of say, chemotherapy, there are - sometimes severe - localized side effects to be aware of and expect when preparing to receive treatment.

Side effects are either acute or long-term. Acute side effects encompass about what you would expect from having a beam of radiation shot through your body. Skin can become pink and sore; an irradiated oesophagus may produce nausea; exposing the lower bowel to radiation may cause soreness and diarrhoea. A type of swelling known as ‘oedema’ may also occur. Oedematous swelling means that the skin itself is retaining fluid - as opposed to there being a large volume of blood in the immediate area - and if this becomes severe enough, it is possible for swollen skin to "weep" fluid. Another acute effect which people, men particularly, are not adequately warned of before treatment is infertility. Exposure to radiation can dramatically affect the function of the ovaries and testes.

Long-term effects include fibrosis, hair loss, dryness and in a very small number of cases, cancer. Tissues exposed repeatedly to radiation eventually lose their elasticity as scar tissue replaces normal tissue. Hair lost during radiation treatments tends to be permanent, but limited to the irradiated area. There really isn't any reason to have one's head irradiated except in the case of brain cancer. Salivary glands, tear glands, sweat glands and mucous membranes can be affected, causing chronic dryness.