Radiation Therapy

Side effects of radiation therapy may include:

• Fatigue (feeling very tired or worn out). Your child should try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night while having this treatment. You should also plan for short rest times during the day, and especially on weekends. At other times, try to keep their energy up by exercising and walking.
• Skin changes in the treatment area, such as redness, dry or flaky skin, itching, sores, or swelling. Do not rub, scrub, or scratch your child’s skin. Protect it from the sun. Do not use heat or an ice pack. Ask your doctor before using skin products.
• Low blood cell counts. Having fewer blood cells might cause anemia or make your child prone to infection. Your doctor may check their blood regularly.
• Hair loss in the body part that is treated. This will not affect the hair on your head, unless the treatment focuses on that area.
• Other effects depending on the body area treated. For example, if your child’s stomach is treated, they might have nausea. If their pelvis is treated, they might become infertile. Your doctor will tell you about other side effects based on your child’s situation.

Some effects can show up months or years after treatment. These depend on the body part treated and how much radiation your child received. These effects can be temporary or permanent, and might include:

• Infertility
• Joint problems
• Lymphedema (swelling in your child’s arms or legs)
• Mouth problems
• Another kind of cancer

Because radiation can destroy cancer cells, this therapy may be used to:

• Remove cancer
• Ease pain by shrinking a tumor
• Help prevent cancer from coming back
• Help other cancer treatments work better

Your child’s healthcare team will help your child by:

• Explaining the treatment plan, possible side effects, and how the treatments may help. Be sure to ask any questions you have. It can help to write down your questions beforehand. 
• Giving your child a physical exam.
• Conducting tests to pinpoint the exact location of the cancer. 
• Placing small tattoos on your child’s skin to show where to aim the radiation. The tattoos are permanent, but to minimize skin discoloration they are tiny — about the size of a pinhead.

Your child’s healthcare team will help your child by:

• Explaining the treatment plan, possible side effects, and how the treatments may help. Be sure to ask any questions you have. It can help to write down your questions beforehand. 
• Giving your child a physical exam.
• Conducting tests to pinpoint the exact location of the cancer. 
• Placing small tattoos on your child’s skin to show where to aim the radiation. The tattoos are permanent, but to minimize skin discoloration they are tiny — about the size of a pinhead.

Depending on your type and stage of cancer, a course of treatment usually lasts 2 to 10 weeks, with daily treatment for 5 days in a row each week. Some people have 2 treatments every day. Saturdays and Sundays are days off. Use these days to help your child rest and recuperate from the effects of treatment. Each session usually takes 10 to 20 minutes. The actual radiation time is only a few minutes.

When you go for a treatment, wear comfortable clothes. Do not use powder, lotion, deodorant soap, deodorant, or wear jewelry near the treatment area.

During each treatment:

• Your child will sit in a chair or lie on a table. A healthcare provider might use various pieces of equipment to help hold your child in position for the treatment.
• The radiation therapist will then go into the next room to control the machine. The therapist can see and hear your child from the room. The therapist can talk to them through a speaker.
• Your child will see lights that show the therapist exactly where to point the radiation.
• Your child will need to lie as still as possible while the radiation beam is on. However, they won’t have to hold their breath.

Radiation is often combined with surgery, chemotherapy, or both. The results of radiation are not guaranteed, but your doctor might order it because this treatment has been shown to help other children with the same condition as your child.

After a cycle or radiation therapy has gone on for 2 to 10 weeks, the size of the cancer tumor will be checked again to see if the radiation has helped. Your child’s doctor will tell you the results at that time.

After a cycle or radiation therapy has gone on for 2 to 10 weeks, the size of the cancer tumor will be checked again to see if the radiation has helped. Your child’s doctor will tell you the results at that time.

Radiation is a treatment method for cancer that uses targeted external beams to kill cancer cells. The radiation can’t be seen when it’s used on your child, and it does not cause any pain, though the side effects can.

Radiation therapy is a treatment method for cancer and other problems in the body, like benign (noncancerous) tumors.

In external beam radiation therapy, a large machine focuses a high dose of radiation at the cancer in your child’s body. The machine moves around your child but doesn’t touch them. The radiation is invisible and doesn’t hurt your child.