With Radiation
Dealing with Treatment Side Effects
You may be feeling concerned about side effects that could occur with your cancer treatment . Treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy are used to destroy unhealthy cancer cells in the body . Because they target the fastgrowing cancer cells , they also can affect other fast-growing cells in the body such as :
• Blood cells forming in the bone marrow , such as white blood cells , red blood cells , and platelets
• Cells lining the mouth , esophagus , stomach , and intestines
• Hair follicles , the points on the scalp where new hair begins to grow
Common side effects may include :
• Hair loss
• Pain
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Fatigue
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Mouth sores
Side effects vary depending on the type of treatment and how your body reacts to the treatment . Your healthcare team will take measures to prevent side effects as much as possible and give you ways to deal with any side effects that you may have .
Hair Loss
Hair loss ( alopecia ) is a temporary or permanent loss of hair that occurs as a side effect of chemotherapy or radiation treatments . Chemotherapy may cause a short-term hair loss that varies from thinning to complete baldness . Chemotherapy medications cause damage to hair cells , which makes them weak and brittle . Hair breaks and falls out easily .
• The type of medication and the length of time it is given will determine how long hair loss will last .
• Hair loss may begin 2 weeks after chemotherapy treatment has begun .
With Radiation
Hair loss from radiation treatments may be permanent depending on the dose you are given . The loss of hair occurs only where the radiation was directed , not all over the body . You will need to talk to your radiation doctor about this in more detail .
14