Side Effects of Radiation Therapy

The side effects of radiation therapy vary from patient to patient and depend on what type of cancer you have, where your treatment doses are located, and how healthy you were before starting treatment. Radiation is used to kill cancer cells and may also damage healthy cells in the process. Damage to healthy cells results in side effects.

This article explains the common side effects of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) to the lung, liver, prostate, and pancreas.

Radiation pneumonitis is inflammation of the lungs caused by radiation therapy to the chest. This article describes the symptoms, factors that increase the risk, how it is diagnosed, and how it is treated.

Information on caring for your skin during radiation therapy.

Esophagitis is an inflammation (swelling) of the esophagus that causes pain and discomfort with swallowing or gives you the feeling of a lump in the throat. Esophagitis is a common side effect of cancer treatment that can be caused by radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Mucositis may also be called mouth sores, oral mucositis, or esophagitis. It can range in severity from a red, sore mouth and/or gums to very painful open sores, causing a patient to be unable to eat. This article provides information about mucositis symptoms, oral care, tips to reduce pain and treatment.

Dry mouth, called xerostomia, may be caused by radiation therapy given to the head and neck area or by medications used to treat the cancer or side effects you are experiencing. This hand-out answers questions about and offers tips for coping with dry mouth (xerostomia) resulting from radiation treatment.

In this article, we will answer questions about and offers tips for coping with hair loss caused by radiation therapy.

Taste changes can be caused by some cancer treatments. This hand-out provides tips for managing taste changes associated with cancer and its treatment.

Radiation treatment can cause harm to healthy tissues in the area being treated. When the bowel is in the treatment area, this damage can lead to ongoing diarrhea, incontinence, and urgency.

Urinary retention is the inability to urinate or to fully empty the bladder.

In some patients with breast cancer, the treated breast can have changes in size or shape following surgery or radiation therapy for breast cancer.

Lack of sensation in the breast is loss of feeling in the breast that can be caused by surgery or radiation.