Radiotherapy and Its Side Effects: Chapter 2 - Side Effects of Radiotherapy

PART II

Chapter 2

Side Effects of Radiotherapy (Cont'd)

4. Other side effects of radiotherapy

The medium- and long-term side effects of radiotherapy that one can see or feel depend on the tissues/organs that receive the radiation. With today’s technological improvement, these side effects can be significantly reduced.
 Because radiotherapy is being used in different types of cancers and every patient’s situation is different, the side effects could vary from patient to patient. Some of the more common side effects from radiotherapy are described below:

Fatigue or tiredness

        Fatigue is among the most common symptoms of radiotherapy. Lack of energy and an overtired feeling are common symptoms. Depending on the type of cancer and the regimen of the radiation treatment, the degree of fatigue may be different. Usually, patients should gradually recover from the lack of energy several weeks after the completion of radiotherapy. 

Dryness

        Radiotherapy on patients with head and neck cancer often causes the release of free radicals in saliva glands, resulting in lack of saliva (abnormal dryness of the mouth or xerostomia). Radiation therapy may also cause dry eye (xerophthalmia). Similarly, vaginal mucosa may be dry after pelvic irradiation.

Fibrosis

        Fibrosis is the development of excessive fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue. As a reactive response to the high radiation energy, irradiated tissues tend to be inflamed and gradually become less elastic. Overtime, certain irradiated area may gradually become fibrosis. This happens more often for lung cancer patients being treated with radiotherapy.

Cancer (secondary malignancy)

        Because radiation can alter certain DNA, it is also a potential cause of cancer, albeit a low probability. Some patients may develop secondary malignancies several years after receiving a course of radiation treatment. In most cases, this risk is greatly outweighed by the reduction of the primary cancer.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2021

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book, "SIDE EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIOTHERAPY", prepared by Dr. Jiajiu Shaw, Dr. Frederick Valeriote, and Dr. Ben Chen.