Side Effects To Radiation Therapy For Breast Cancer

The x rays or particles are painless and invisible.

Side effects to radiation therapy for breast cancer.

Radiation therapy for breast cancer uses high energy x rays protons or other particles to kill cancer cells. On these pages you can read about the kinds of side effects you may experience over the course of your radiation treatment. Radiation therapy and risk of a second cancer. It can happen all at once or come on slowly.

Side effects of external beam radiation depending on the dose and type you may notice these during treatment. Long term side effects occur months or years after treatment has ended. Fatigue is feeling exhausted and worn out. For women who are long term smokers radiation therapy may also increase the risk of lung cancer.

Rapidly growing cells such as cancer cells are more susceptible to the effects of radiation therapy than are normal cells. Radiation not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells it can also affect nearby healthy cells. The most common cancers linked to radiation therapy are sarcomas cancers of the connective tissue. Short term side effects occur during the treatment or directly afterward usually within 6.

Damage to healthy cells can cause side effects. What are the side effects of radiation for breast cancer. Many people who get radiation therapy have fatigue. Lowered white blood cell counts.

Red swollen warm sensitive skin it might feel like you have a sunburn.