2. Damage to cell renewal
The following side effects are under a class called cell renewal effects.
Damage to bone marrow
Bone
marrow is the flexible tissue in the hollow interior of bones. It
is responsible for the production of blood cells, including RBCs, WBCs, and
platelets. If a person is exposed to a high dose of radiation for
too long (especially on pelvis, chest and other bones), one can suffer bone
marrow damage. As a result of radiotherapy, a patient may suffer from low WBC count (neutropenia or leukopenia),
low RBC count (anemia), and/or low platelet count (thrombocytopenia). As
explained in the previous chapter, neutropenia may increase
a patient’s chance of infection, anemia may cause fatigue, and thrombocytopenia
can increase a patient’s risk of bruising and bleeding.
Hair loss
(alopecia)
Radiotherapy often causes hair loss on the body part being treated [35, 36]. However, hair loss from radiotherapy is usually limited to the area treated by the radiation. For patients who receive radiotherapy for brain cancer, the most pronounced side effect may be hair loss. In this case, radiation-induced hair loss could be permanent; this is different from chemotherapy on other part of the body wherein hair loss is more likely temporary.
Anemia
Depending on the dose and the time of treatment, radiotherapy may or may not cause anemia for cancer patients. Many patients experience anemia at some point during treatment; in serious situations, it may cause aplastic anemia.
Diarrhea
When the lining of mouth, stomach, and intestines are injured by radiotherapy, it may cause diarrhea. It is common to have diarrhea during or after radiotherapy treatment on the stomach or abdomen. The diarrhea can gradually get worse as the treatment goes on. Once the treatment ends, the diarrhea normally goes away gradually over a couple of weeks, but for some people it may take a little bit longer.
Skin
damage
Radiotherapy can induce tanned (hyperpigmentation), irritated, peeling or burned skin. Because recent radiotherapy technology utilizes higher radiation doses, skin damage becomes a problem that happens more often. On the other hand, in the most recent radiosurgery, such as stereotactic radiotherapy, because radiation is applied from different direction, skin damage is significantly reduced.
