BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuRadiation therapy - questions to ask your doctorWhat to ask your doctor about radiation therapy; Radiotherapy - ask your doctorYou are having radiation therapy. This is a type of treatment that uses high-powered x-rays or subatomic particles to kill cancer cells. You may receive radiation therapy by itself or also have other treatments (such as surgery, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy) at the same time. Your health care provider may need to follow you closely while you are having radiation therapy. You will also need to learn how to care for yourself during this time.Radiation therapyRadiation therapy uses high-powered radiation (such as x-rays or gamma rays), particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells.Read Article Now Book Mark Article x-raysX-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation, just like visible light. An x-ray machine sends individual x-ray waves through the body. The images...Read Article Now Book Mark Article ChemotherapyThe term chemotherapy is used to describe cancer-killing drugs. Chemotherapy may be used to:Cure the cancerShrink the cancerPrevent the cancer from ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Below are some possible questions you may want to ask your provider.QuestionsHow many treatment sessions do I need?Are there alternative or supplemental treatment options?Do I need someone to bring me in and pick me up after the radiation treatments?How often will I see you during treatment?What if this treatment doesn't work?What are the known side effects?How soon after starting my radiation will I experience side effects? What should I do if I experience these side effects? Are there any limitations on my activities during treatment?What will my skin look like after radiation treatment? How should I take care of my skin?Take care of my skinWhen you have radiation treatment for cancer, you may have some changes in your skin in the area being treated. Your skin may turn red, peel, or itc...Read Article Now Book Mark Article How should I take care of my skin during the course of treatment? What creams or lotions do you recommend? Do you have samples? When can I put creams or lotions on my skin? Will I have skin sores? How should I treat them? Can I remove the marks on my skin that my provider or technician made? Will my skin hurt? What daily activities do I have to limit?Can I continue to work during treatment?Can I go out in the sun? Should I use sunscreen? Do I need to stay indoors during cold weather? Am I at risk for infections?What foods should I not eat so that I do not get an infection? Is my water at home OK to drink? Are there places I should not drink the water? Can I go swimming? What should I do when I go to a restaurant? Can I be around pets? What immunizations do I need? Which immunizations should I stay away from? Is it OK to be in a crowd of people? Do I have to wear a mask? Can I have visitors over? Do they need to wear a mask? When should I wash my hands? When should I take my temperature at home? When should I call you?Am I at risk of bleeding? Is it OK to shave? What should I do if I cut myself or start bleeding? Are there any medicines I should not take?Are there any other medicines I should keep on hand? Are there any vitamins and supplements I should or should not take? What over-the-counter (OTC) medicines am I allowed to take? Do I need to use birth control?Is it safe to be around babies or children?What if I think I may be pregnant?Will I be sick to my stomach or have loose stools or diarrhea? How long after I start radiation treatment might these problems start? What can I do if I am sick to my stomach or have diarrhea often? What should I be eating to keep my weight and strength up? Eating to keep my weight and strength uIf you are sick or undergoing cancer treatment, you may not feel like eating. But it is important to get enough protein and calories so you do not l...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Are there any foods I should avoid? Am I allowed to drink alcohol? Will my hair fall out? Is there anything I can do about it?Will I have problems thinking or remembering things? Can I do anything that might help? How should I take care of my mouth and lips?How can I prevent mouth sores? How often should I brush my teeth? What type of toothpaste should I use? What can I do about dry mouth? Dry mouthSome cancer treatments and medicines can cause dry mouth. Take good care of your mouth during your cancer treatment. Follow the measures outlined b...Read Article Now Book Mark Article What should I do if I have a mouth sore? What can I do about my fatigue?When should I contact my provider?When should I go directly to the emergency department?Open ReferencesReferencesNational Cancer Institute website. Radiation therapy and you: support for people with cancer. www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/radiation-therapy-and-you. Updated April 2021. Accessed October 17, 2024.Zeman EM, Schreiber EC, Tepper JE. Basics of radiation therapy. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 27.AllVideoImagesTogA Closer Look Prostate cancer - InDepth(In-Depth)Massage(Alt. 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Radiation therapy - questions to ask your doctorWhat to ask your doctor about radiation therapy; Radiotherapy - ask your doctorYou are having radiation therapy. This is a type of treatment that uses high-powered x-rays or subatomic particles to kill cancer cells. You may receive radiation therapy by itself or also have other treatments (such as surgery, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy) at the same time. Your health care provider may need to follow you closely while you are having radiation therapy. You will also need to learn how to care for yourself during this time.Radiation therapyRadiation therapy uses high-powered radiation (such as x-rays or gamma rays), particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells.Read Article Now Book Mark Article x-raysX-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation, just like visible light. An x-ray machine sends individual x-ray waves through the body. The images...Read Article Now Book Mark Article ChemotherapyThe term chemotherapy is used to describe cancer-killing drugs. Chemotherapy may be used to:Cure the cancerShrink the cancerPrevent the cancer from ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Below are some possible questions you may want to ask your provider.QuestionsHow many treatment sessions do I need?Are there alternative or supplemental treatment options?Do I need someone to bring me in and pick me up after the radiation treatments?How often will I see you during treatment?What if this treatment doesn't work?What are the known side effects?How soon after starting my radiation will I experience side effects? What should I do if I experience these side effects? Are there any limitations on my activities during treatment?What will my skin look like after radiation treatment? How should I take care of my skin?Take care of my skinWhen you have radiation treatment for cancer, you may have some changes in your skin in the area being treated. Your skin may turn red, peel, or itc...Read Article Now Book Mark Article How should I take care of my skin during the course of treatment? What creams or lotions do you recommend? Do you have samples? When can I put creams or lotions on my skin? Will I have skin sores? How should I treat them? Can I remove the marks on my skin that my provider or technician made? Will my skin hurt? What daily activities do I have to limit?Can I continue to work during treatment?Can I go out in the sun? Should I use sunscreen? Do I need to stay indoors during cold weather? Am I at risk for infections?What foods should I not eat so that I do not get an infection? Is my water at home OK to drink? Are there places I should not drink the water? Can I go swimming? What should I do when I go to a restaurant? Can I be around pets? What immunizations do I need? Which immunizations should I stay away from? Is it OK to be in a crowd of people? Do I have to wear a mask? Can I have visitors over? Do they need to wear a mask? When should I wash my hands? When should I take my temperature at home? When should I call you?Am I at risk of bleeding? Is it OK to shave? What should I do if I cut myself or start bleeding? Are there any medicines I should not take?Are there any other medicines I should keep on hand? Are there any vitamins and supplements I should or should not take? What over-the-counter (OTC) medicines am I allowed to take? Do I need to use birth control?Is it safe to be around babies or children?What if I think I may be pregnant?Will I be sick to my stomach or have loose stools or diarrhea? How long after I start radiation treatment might these problems start? What can I do if I am sick to my stomach or have diarrhea often? What should I be eating to keep my weight and strength up? Eating to keep my weight and strength uIf you are sick or undergoing cancer treatment, you may not feel like eating. But it is important to get enough protein and calories so you do not l...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Are there any foods I should avoid? Am I allowed to drink alcohol? Will my hair fall out? Is there anything I can do about it?Will I have problems thinking or remembering things? Can I do anything that might help? How should I take care of my mouth and lips?How can I prevent mouth sores? How often should I brush my teeth? What type of toothpaste should I use? What can I do about dry mouth? Dry mouthSome cancer treatments and medicines can cause dry mouth. Take good care of your mouth during your cancer treatment. Follow the measures outlined b...Read Article Now Book Mark Article What should I do if I have a mouth sore? What can I do about my fatigue?When should I contact my provider?When should I go directly to the emergency department?Open ReferencesReferencesNational Cancer Institute website. Radiation therapy and you: support for people with cancer. www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/radiation-therapy-and-you. Updated April 2021. Accessed October 17, 2024.Zeman EM, Schreiber EC, Tepper JE. Basics of radiation therapy. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 27.
