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Side Effects of Radiotherapy & Chemotherapy

Radiotherapy or radiation uses focused waves of radioactive energy to destroy cancer cells, while chemotherapy relies on injected or oral medication to kill cancerous cells. Despite the effectiveness of both treatments, radiotherapy and chemotherapy pose risks for side effects.

  1. Time Frame

    • For both chemotherapy and radiation, some symptoms develop within hours after a treatment while others do not appear until days or weeks after. Some side effects continue after your cancer treatment ends, and some do not develop until years later.

    Common Side Effects of Radiotherapy

    • Common side effects of radiotherapy include fatigue, inflammation in your mouth or throat, dental cavities, and hair loss. Redness, dryness and peeling of your skin are also common.

    Risks of Radiation

    • When radiation is focused on the brain, it is possible to develop a potentially fatal patch of dead brain cells, while radiation on the lungs sometimes causes lifelong scarring of the organs or fibrosis. In both men and women, radiation therapy on reproductive organs sometimes causes irreversible infertility, according to the American Cancer Society.

    Types of Chemotherapy Side Effects

    • Common side effects of chemotherapy include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, loss of appetite, fever, fatigue, mouth ulcers, body pains, constipation and easy bruising.

    Risks of Chemotherapy

    • Chemotherapy has the potential to permanently damage your lungs, heart, kidneys or nerves. It also poses risks for infertility in both men and women as well as the risk of developing cancer again, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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