What are long-term side effects of radiation therapy?

What are the most common long-term side effects of radiation?

• Cataracts.
• Hair loss.
• Hearing loss.
• Memory loss (“It’s hard to determine how much memory loss or cognitive dysfunction is related to a tumor and how much is related to radiotherapy,” says Dr. Nowlan.

Does radiation cause permanent damage?

Soft Tissue Permanent darkening of the skin, telangiectasias (spidery red marks) and permanent hair loss may occur with radiation.

What are the worst side effects of radiotherapy?

In some people, radiotherapy can make the skin sore and red (similar to sunburn), darker than normal or dry and itchy. This tends to start 1 to 2 weeks after treatment begins. Tell your care team if you notice any soreness or changes to your skin.

How long can you live after radiation therapy?

For most people, the cancer experience doesn’t end on the last day of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy usually does not have an immediate effect, and it could take days, weeks or months to see any change in the cancer. The cancer cells may then keep dying for weeks or months after the end of treatment.

Does radiation make you look older?

These results are similar to other reports suggesting exposure to chemotherapy and radiation treatments may not consistently be related to blood cell telomere length shortening per se, but rather may drive aging via induction of DNA damage and cell senescence.

How long is your 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 is the success rate of radiation therapy?

“In fact, based on the literature reviewed, it appears that external-beam radiation therapy is a superior treatment in some cases. “When patients are treated with modern external-beam radiation therapy, the overall cure rate was 93.3% with a metastasis-free survival rate at 5 years of 96.9%.

Do radiation treatments make you sick?

If the radiation therapy is directed near your abdomen, pelvic region or head, you may feel sick (nauseated) with or without vomiting for several hours after each treatment. Your radiation oncologist may prescribe medicine to take at home before and after each session to prevent nausea.

What are the negative effects of radiation therapy?

Radiation Therapy Side Effects. Common side effects of radiation therapy are fatigue, skin changes, and some loss of appetite.

How soon might you get side effects from radiation therapy?

What are the side effects of radiation for breast cancer? Short-term side effects. Short-term side effects occur during the treatment or directly afterward, usually within 6 months. Long-term side effects. Long-term side effects occur months or years after treatment has ended. Rare side effects. Nausea: Radiation can cause nausea, but this side effect is extremely rare. Coping with side effects. Outlook.

What are the risks of radiation therapy?

Risks of radiation therapy. No matter what type of radiation is used, fatigue and hair loss are common side effects. Hair loss only happens on the part of your body being treated. Radiation also affects skin cells.

What are the long term effects of radiation?

Long-term side effects of radiation can include. persistent dry mouth/throat. swallowing dysfunction. increased risk of cavities or complications after dental procedures. stiffness or tanning of irradiated tissues. spinal cord or nerve damage – very rare. low thyroid.