Radiotherapy to most areas of the body does not affect your ability to get pregnant or make someone pregnant your fertility. Before you decide to have treatment, your team will explain any risks to your fertility. For some people, radiotherapy causes changes that get better with time. For others, the treatment they have to the pelvic area or pituitary gland causes permanent infertility. Your team may talk to you about fertility preservation, if this is possible for you.
We have more information about pelvic radiotherapy and fertility for men and women. You may have mixed emotions when you get to the end of your radiotherapy and begin to recover. You will probably feel relieved, but you may also feel anxious and uncertain.
You may feel ready to get on with your life after radiotherapy, but sometimes you may feel less positive. It can take time to recover and you may feel tired for a while. You may also have new challenges to cope with, such as physical effects caused by the cancer or its treatment. It usually takes time to adjust to these and find out what is now normal for you.
Complementary therapies may help you feel better and reduce any stress and anxiety. When your treatment is over, you may want to think about making some positive changes to your lifestyle. Many people find that over time they settle back into their usual routines. But it is important to remember that support is available to help you with any physical or emotional problems you have.
You may have questions about the different vaccines, or you may be worried about how the pandemic will affect your cancer treatment. We have detailed information about coronavirus and cancer treatment here. We know cancer throws a lot your way, and right now, the coronavirus pandemic is making it even tougher. If you're worried about something, and you need to talk to someone, whatever is on your mind, we're here to listen.
To speak to our experts, you can:. Find out more about the Macmillan teams that are here to support you. Radiotherapy uses high-energy rays to treat cancer. On this page. What is radiotherapy? Understanding radiotherapy. This booklet is about radiotherapy. It is for anyone who is having radiotherapy or has been offered it as part Radiotherapy - easy read.
An easy read booklet about radiotherapy. Our easy read booklets use simple language and pictures to tell you Chemoradiation Some people may have chemotherapy at the same time as radiotherapy. Why am I having radiotherapy? You may have radiotherapy for different reasons: Radiotherapy to destroy a tumour and cure the cancer sometimes called radical treatment.
Radiotherapy to treat symptoms palliative radiotherapy. How will I have radiotherapy? There are two ways of having radiotherapy: External beam radiotherapy is given from outside the body externally by a radiotherapy machine.
Internal radiotherapy is when a radioactive material is placed inside the body. It is sometimes called brachytherapy or radioisotope therapy.
Radiotherapy masks For most types of radiotherapy to your brain, head or neck area, you wear a mask during each treatment.
Before you have radiotherapy Before you start your treatment, it needs to be planned carefully by your radiotherapy team. There are some things you should consider before having radiotherapy: Avoiding pregnancy or making someone pregnant. Tell your doctor if you have a pacemaker, implantable cardiac device ICD or cochlea implant. Skin care. Arranging help at home and getting to appointments. Stopping smoking.
Talking to employers or tutors. Planning your radiotherapy Your first planning session usually lasts 30 to 60 minutes, but it may take longer or need more than one visit. Your session will usually involve the following: A discussion with your team. Having a CT scan of the area to be treated. Skin markings You may have markings made on your skin to help the radiographers position you accurately for treatment. Side effects of radiotherapy Your team plans your treatment carefully to reduce your risk of side effects.
The side effects you have will depend on: the area of your body being treated - you may find it helpful to read information about the cancer type you have the type of radiotherapy you have other treatments you are also having, such as chemotherapy. Your follow-up after radiotherapy After your radiotherapy has finished, your oncologist or radiographer will explain your follow-up. Your follow-up care may involve any of the following: You may not need follow-up appointments. You might have regular follow-up appointments at the radiotherapy department or your original hospital.
A nurse or radiographer may follow-up by telephone. You may do patient-led follow-up. This risk may be higher if you are also having other treatments, such as chemotherapy. Radiotherapy and your sex life During and after external radiotherapy , it is usually safe for you and a partner to have sex. For some types of internal radiotherapy , there may be times during and after treatment when you should avoid having sex or close physical contact.
If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your healthcare team. If you have any type of radiotherapy, you should use contraception to: prevent pregnancy during radiotherapy and for a time after protect yourself from infection.
Other people experience more severe side effects. Reactions to the radiation therapy often start during the second or third week of treatment. Or, they may last for several weeks after the final treatment. Some side effects may be long term. Talk with your treatment team about what to expect. Your health care team can help you prevent or relieve many side effects.
Preventing and treating side effects is an important part of your overall cancer treatment. This is called palliative care or supportive care. Before treatment begins, ask what side effects are likely from the specific type of treatment you are receiving and when they may happen. And during and after treatment, let your health care team know how you are feeling on a regular basis.
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.
Skin changes. Some people who receive radiation therapy experience dryness, itching, blistering, or peeling. These side effects depend on which part of the body received radiation therapy and other factors. Skin changes from radiation therapy usually go away a few weeks after treatment ends.
If skin damage becomes a serious problem, your doctor may change your treatment plan. Lotion may help with skin changes, but be sure to check with your nurse or other health care team about which cream they recommend and when to apply it. It is also best to protect affected skin from the sun. Learn more about skin-related side effects.
Fatigue is a term used to describe feeling tired or exhausted almost all the time. Many patients experience fatigue. Your level of fatigue often depends on your treatment plan. For example, radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy may result in more fatigue. Learn how to cope with fatigue. Long-term side effects. Most side effects go away after treatment. But some continue, come back, or develop later. These are called long-term or late effects. One possible late effect is the development of a second cancer.
This is a new type of cancer that develops because of the original cancer treatment. The risk of this late effect is low. And the risk is often smaller than the benefit of treating the first cancer.
Some side effects depend on the type and location of where radiation therapy is directed at on the body. Head and neck. Learn more about dental health during cancer treatment and managing eating challenges from head and neck treatments. Cough, fever, and fullness of the chest, known as radiation pneumonitis.
After radiation therapy has been ordered, a planning stage occurs. The patient will first undergo a simulation scan on a special CT scanner. IV or oral contrast may be used. If a device is needed to keep the patient still such as a mask this is made at the simulation scan appointment.
The radiation oncologist then outlines the area to be treated, the tumor, and the areas to be avoided such as normal organs. The radiation plan is developed and checked by dosimetrists, medical physicists and radiation oncologists.
The radiation plan then undergoes quality and safety checks. Radiation therapy is delivered on the treatment units by radiation therapists. The radiation oncologist along with other healthcare team members, including nurses and dietitians, will see the patient during radiation treatment to manage side effects. An advanced form of three-dimensional 3-D conformal radiation, called intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT , more precisely conforms the dose to the tumors, allowing safer delivery of higher doses of radiation.
Other techniques that enable ultra-precise doses of radiation to tumors include stereotactic radiosurgery , which uses 3-D imaging to determine the exact coordinates of a tumor. The highly focused gamma rays or x-rays then converge on the tumor to treat it. Linear accelerators can also be used to deliver stereotactic radiation therapy to the brain. Other parts of the body can be treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy SBRT.
Emerging areas for using SBRT include lung, liver and bone. IGRT involves performing a CT scan at the time of radiation treatment to ensure the target is aligned in the correct location. IGRT can allow for adjustments during treatment in areas of the body that are prone to movement, such as the lungs, and tumors located close to critical organs and tissues.
Radiation can also be used to cut off blood flow to a tumor in vascular organs like the liver. For instance, radioembolization uses microspheres filled with radioactive isotopes to block a tumor's blood supply and starve it. Please type your comment or suggestion into the text box below. Note: we are unable to answer specific questions or offer individual medical advice or opinions.
Please contact your physician with specific medical questions or for a referral to a radiologist or other physician. To locate a medical imaging or radiation oncology provider in your community, you can search the ACR-accredited facilities database.
0コメント