Common Side Effects of Radiotherapy

January 5, 2007

All cancer treatments can have long term side effects. This is as true for radiotherapy as any other treatment.
Radiotherapy is painless, but it has varying side effects during treatment (acute side effects), in the months or years following treatment (long-term side effects), or after re-treatment (cumulative side effects).
Acute side effects are:
• Lesions of skin, oral, pharyngeal and bowel mucosa
• Swelling (Edema)
• Infertility
• Fatigue
• Flu-like symptoms
Long time effects are:
• Hair loss
• Darker skin
• Dry mouth (xerostomia) and dry eyes (xerophthalmia)
• Secondary malignancies
Only your doctor can give you the best advice about starting radiotherapy and about dealing with the side effects of it.

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