Patients may want to limit their activities, cut back their work hours, or take time off from work. They also might find it helpful to take naps and get extra sleep at night. Patients who receive external beam therapy do not become radioactive and should be assured that they do not pose a danger to others. However, some patients who receive brachytherapy go home with low levels of radioactivity inside their bodies. These patients should be given instructions about any dangers they might pose to children and people of child-bearing age and how long these dangers will last.
Emotional support is an important part of the care for patients undergoing any treatment for cancer.
Risks Radiation therapy can be highly toxic to patients, because it kills normal cells. There are risks of anemia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, skin burn, sterility, and death. However, the risks of not getting radiation therapy almost always exceed the risks involved with getting it. The probable outcome of radiation treatment is highly variable depending on the disease. A Ray of Hope.