Radiation therapy is emerging as the most common treatments to deal with cancer. Basically, in this treatment, high-energy waves or particles are used to damage cancer cells and some noncancerous conditions. However, there are several different treatment methods and all of them cause certain side effects. Hence, you should know about radiation therapy before going for it. Here are the ten facts you need to know about radiation therapy.

Palliative therapy

The objective of using radiation therapy for cancer can vary depending on the type and stage of cancer. Especially in the early stages, radiation therapy can work wonders on a patient. This is called palliative therapy because this therapy has proved to cure cancer, which means doctors could not detect any cancer cells or their markers after using treatment. Even, This therapy can help to ease out the symptoms of terminal or advanced cancers.

External, internal or systemic radiation therapy

The way of delivering radiation therapy depends on the type of cancer. External radiation therapy is done by delivering a beam of radiation from outside the body. On the other hand, radiation directly is released from a sealed container inside the body during internal radiation therapy. Whereas in systemic radiation therapy, radiation is delivered throughout the body with an injection or a pill.

Controls the rapid growth of cancer cells

Radiation therapy destroys the DNA inside cells. Thus, the cells are unable to grow and divide. That’s why radiation therapy works effectively for stopping this rapid growth of cancer cells. However, radiation therapy also damages normal cells but mostly normal cells can recover. Also, the aim of radiation therapy is to damage more cancer cells and lesser normal cells in order to limit the side effects.

Used along with other treatment plans

Radiation therapy is used alone to treat cancer as well as with a combination treatment plan like surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy also helps to shrink the size of tumours in order to make them more manageable before going for other treatments. Besides, it not only makes chemotherapy more effective but also kills left out cancer cells from the surgery.

You will have a tattoo

The care team will draw up tiny dots on your cancer affected area in order to line up the machine correctly on the tumour. Most people don’t know but if you use radiation therapy then you will have tattooed dots for the rest of your life.

Side effects are determined by the treatment location

Side effects of radiation therapy start showing early and late side effects depending on the location of treatment. Patients may have had early symptoms like fatigue, skin changes etc. While the late side effects occur almost months after treatment and those side effects are often permanent. You may ask your doctor beforehand about the side effects you might expect after treatment and ways to prevent them.

Protect your health during radiation therapy

Your skin will start to breakdown after radiation therapy so it is important to protect your skin during the therapy. Thus, you should tell your doctor about changes that you are dealing with and ask for specific skincare strategies. Besides, it is common to feel fatigue in the early stages of radiation therapy so you should take care of your health properly.

Take precautions for radiation therapy

Internal radiation therapy can give off low-level radioactive energy.in your body. However, the body fluids or items you use will not be radioactive still you should limit your time with pregnant women as well as children during internal radiation therapy. On the other hand, Systemic radiation therapy makes your body fluids and personal items radioactive so you need to be aware of the specific precautions to take with systemic radiation therapy.

Prepare yourself to continue your normal routine during radiation therapy

Sometimes side effects can make it difficult to continue with your normal routine. Thus, you need to research about the state and federal laws that let the employers make adjustments in work schedules in order to accommodate cancer treatment.

Understand the goals of radiation treatment

It comes in various forms and its side effects depend on how and where the radiation is used. So, it is very important to be proactive with your doctor and find out how you expect to feel after the treatment. If you live in Bangalore, then you can look for, radiotherapy in Bangalore.

Cancer is a harsh disease. So, if you are aware about the types of treatments and its side effects then you can make a better-informed decision to deal with it. The above-mentioned pointers may help you to do that.