Chemotherapy And Radiation Together Side Effects

Some occur as soon as treatment begins while others hit weeks later because of the cumulative effects of chemo medications or exposure to radiation.

Chemotherapy and radiation together side effects.

The goal is to destroy or damage the cancer without hurting too many healthy cells. Certain types of chemo sometimes cause delayed effects such as a second cancer that may show up many years later. Radiation therapy treats cancer by using high energy waves to kill tumor cells. Chemotherapy and radiation are two of the most effective treatments for cancer.

These effects are more likely to affect the whole body. Along with killing cancer cells both chemo and radiation can damage healthy cells. If your blood tests show low blood counts your treatment might be stopped for a week or so to allow your blood counts to return to normal. Chemo s side effects depend on the type of drug used the dosage and a child s overall health.

This treatment can cause side. The side effects will vary depending on the type of chemo drugs or radiation treatment you get. Getting chemo and radiation at the same time also requires more appointments in a short period of time as well as additional monitoring in the form of. This side effect is more likely if you re also getting chemotherapy.

That s because concurrent treatment while tougher on cancer also can be tougher on your body which results in more and intensified side effects such as nausea fatigue pain and hair loss. This sometimes causes unpleasant side effects. Radiation s side effects on the other hand tend to affect the area being treated. Cancer therapies like chemotherapy and radiation can be life extending and life saving but they come with side effects.

Specific side effects of radiation therapy that affect parts of the body if you re getting radiation therapy to the brain. Sometimes the side effects can last a lifetime such as when chemo causes long term damage to the heart lungs kidneys or reproductive organs. But they do still depend on the dose of radiation given the location on the body and whether the radiation. Some of the most common side effects of chemotherapy affect digestion.

Sexual side effects chemotherapy and radiation therapy can affect your ability to have children fertility in the future.