This week's artwork was donated by Kate, a pediatric cancer patient who received treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . This is a response to a question about radiation induced hematuria.
Radiation treatments can cause inflammation of normal tissue.
Even with the most advanced treatment plans using 3-D conformal therapy, it is impossible to completely spare the bladder because of its anatomic position next to the prostate and rectum. One of the known side effects of irradiating the bladder is bladder wall inflammation. Chronic radiation hematuria is uncommon. The inflammatory process that occurs with radiation subsides once the treatments are complete and most if not all of the symptoms subside as well. However, a small percentage of patients will continue to have chronic symptoms.