You may have heard the term “radiation” when discussing lung cancer treatments. Radiation therapy is a common cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to cause damage to the DNA of cancer cells. This sort of damage either kills the cells or keeps them from making new cancer cells.
Similar to an X-ray, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) only lasts a few minutes.
Radiation can also harm some of the healthy tissue around the tumour; but the treatments are given in such a way as to minimize this damage.
When may radiation therapy be used in NSCLC?
- In the early stages, it may be used alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy (used either at the same time or after) if a lung tumour cannot be removed by surgery
- Before surgery to try to make the tumour smaller and easier to operate on
- After surgery to improve your chances of recovery by killing any cancer cells that might remain and to try to prevent it from returning
- To help eliminate some cancer symptoms in palliative care
Most side-effects go away on their own or can be treated, but some side effects may last a long time or become permanent. Keep your doctor informed of any side effects you may have, as he or she can help you manage them.
Common side effects of radiation therapy used to treat lung cancer are:
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- difficulty breathing (including a cough and shortness of breath)
- nausea
- vomiting
- sore throat
- difficulty swallowing
- loss of appetite
- radiation pneumonitis
- skin problems
- heart problems (in the event the treatment area is near the heart)
- scarring of the lung tissues (called pulmonary fibrosis)
Talk to your doctor to find out the appropriate treatment option for your specific lung cancer.
