What are the side effects of localized radiation?

What are the side effects of localized radiation?

Specific side effects of radiation therapy that affect parts of the body

  • Headaches.
  • Hair loss.
  • Nausea.
  • Vomiting.
  • Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
  • Hearing loss.
  • Skin and scalp changes.
  • Trouble with memory and speech.

Does localized radiation make you sick?

Nausea and vomiting can occur after radiation therapy to the stomach, small intestine, colon or parts of the brain. Your risk for nausea and vomiting depends on how much radiation you are getting, how much of your body is in the treatment area, and whether you are also having chemotherapy.

Can radiation be localized?

Radiation therapy is called a local treatment. This means that it only affects the area of the body that is targeted. For example, radiation therapy to the scalp may cause hair loss. But people who have radiation therapy to other parts of their body do not usually lose the hair on their head.

What are the side effects of breast cancer radiation?

The main short-term side effects of external beam radiation therapy to the breast are:

  • Swelling in the breast.
  • Skin changes in the treated area similar to a sunburn (redness, skin peeling, darkening of the skin)
  • Fatigue.

Do tumors grow back after radiation?

Normal cells close to the cancer can also become damaged by radiation, but most recover and go back to working normally. If radiotherapy doesn’t kill all of the cancer cells, they will regrow at some point in the future.

How long is immune system compromised after radiation?

Now, new research suggests that the effects of chemotherapy can compromise part of the immune system for up to nine months after treatment, leaving patients vulnerable to infections – at least when it comes to early-stage breast cancer patients who’ve been treated with a certain type of chemotherapy.

What happens to tumor after radiation?

In summary, some types of tumor cells shrink very quickly, and this shrinkage can be seen on a radiology scan. Even if no shrinkage is seen right away, cells may still be dying in response to radiation, sometimes causing an inflammatory response that can even make a mass look larger!