Radiation therapy is sometimes used as adjuvant therapy that is, it is given after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells. It is also used to relieve pain. Studies are under way to determine whether radiation given during surgery will improve treatment effectiveness. Radiation to the abdomen can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Patients usually find relief from these symptoms with medication and changes in their diet.
Doctors usually advise getting plenty of rest while also staying active during treatment.
To avoid and relieve skin irritation patients should wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and avoid the use of lotions and creams except as recommended by their doctor. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Most anticancer drugs are injected into a vein or a muscle, but some are given by mouth. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, meaning that the drugs flow through the bloodstream to nearly every part of the body to kill cancerous cells. Chemotherapy is sometimes given before surgery in an effort to shrink the tumor and sometimes after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.