Filed under: cancer technology
Radiation oncology is a very powerful and effective treatment for cancerous tumors, however, like any extreme forms of treatment, there are side effects that can occur. Your radiation oncologist can help you better understand these side effects, but keep in mind that radiation oncology is, simply, the use of radiation to treat cancer, and radiation can cause serious sickness and bring about acute and long-term side effects.
General fatigue is the most common acute side effect of radiation oncology, as exposing your body to radiation can take a lot out of you. Additional acute side effects are: swelling (edema), infertility, and damage to the epithelial surfaces (skin). These side effects can usually be treated, and can go away with time.
Several long term side effects have been seen as well. Hair loss and damage to the salivary glands have been known to occur as well as fibrosis and even cancer. Radiation has been known as a cause and a treatment for cancer for years, but secondary malignancies as a result of radiotherapy are very rare.
Despite the potential side effects, radiation oncology is a very effective cancer treatment, and its benefits can greatly outweigh its potential side effects. Your radiation oncologist can help you decide if radiotherapy is the right path for you.
No Comments so far
Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>