Early Effects of Radiation

Radiation therapy uses ionizing radiation to shrink tumors and eradicate cancer cells by damaging the cells on a genetic level, halting the growth of malignant cells. There are several common early effects and others which are specific to the area being treated.

Timeline

• Early radiation effects emerge within days or weeks of beginning treatment and may persist for weeks after you have ended your radiation therapy.

Common Effects

• Common early effects include fatigue and skin changes. Fatigue is an extreme feeling of being tired which does not improve with rest and most skin changes include faint redness, increased sensitivity, dry skin, peeling skin and darkened pigmentation at the site of therapy.

Site Specific Effects

• Depending on where you are receiving radiation, you may experience additional early effects like mouth problems, brain effects or sexual effects.

Warning Signs

• Warning signs that you may be experiencing some early effects include dry mouth, inflammation of the inside of your mouth, memory problems, altered vision, increased sensitivity to cold weather, vaginal tenderness, bleeding after intercourse and erectile problems.

Treatment

• Fatigue can be alleviated with regular light exercise, skin changes may be eased with aloe vera or vitamin E, mouth effects may be helped by maintaining a clean mouth to reduce the risk of infection and sexual effects may be eased in some cases with hormone replacement.