Side Effects To Radiation Therapy For Breast Cancer

Read about the how radiation affects the skin in the managing skin side effects pages.

Side effects to radiation therapy for breast cancer.

What are the side effects of radiation for breast cancer. Side effects of external beam radiation depending on the dose and type you may notice these during treatment. It can happen all at once or come on slowly. The x rays or particles are painless and invisible.

Short term side effects occur during the treatment or directly afterward usually within 6. Rapidly growing cells such as cancer cells are more susceptible to the effects of radiation therapy than are normal cells. In rare cases radiation therapy to the breast can cause a second cancer. For women who are long term smokers radiation therapy may also increase the risk of lung cancer.

The most common cancers linked to radiation therapy are sarcomas cancers of the connective tissue. Red swollen warm sensitive skin it might feel like you have a sunburn. Damage to healthy cells can cause side effects. Many people who get radiation therapy have fatigue.

Lowered white blood cell counts. Radiation not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells it can also affect nearby healthy cells. Fatigue is feeling exhausted and worn out. 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.