Category: RADIOTHERAPY

RADIOTHERAPY

DIARRHEA DUE TO RADIOTHERAPY

Dr Bassa Oncology

Diarrhea is one potential side effect of cancer treatment. Radiation therapy to the abdominal area (mid-section of the body) can cause diarrhea, as can certain chemotherapy medications. If you struggle with diarrhea, there are several things you can do to address the problem and help your body

The most important thing you can do to control diarrhea during cancer treatment is to take medications as prescribed. As with many treatment side effects, prevention is more effective than cure. Once diarrhea is very severe, it can be more challenging to bring under control.

Severe diarrhea causes dehydration and lose of important electrolytes (minerals), including sodium and potassium. This can be a life-threatening situation, so do not ignore diarrhea. If your medical team prescribes medication to prevent diarrhea, do not wait until you have diarrhea to take it. For some cancer treatments, taking anti-diarrheal medications before the problem occurs is part of the plan.

Diarrhea Diet: Using Food To Better Manage Diarrhea

In addition to medical management, the following tips and tricks will help you manage diarrhea:

Eat more high-soluble fiber foods including plain oatmeal, white rice, ripe bananas, applesauce, white toast, canned fruit without the skins, such as peaches and pears, white pasta noodles, cream of rice cereal, and plain unsweetened crackers.

Drink 8 cups of non-caffeinated fluid each day to prevent dehydration. Try water; coconut water; decaf, chamomile, and ginger teas; ginger ale; rice milk; and diluted fruit juices and nectars, such as peach, pear, mango, or papaya nectar (avoid grape and prune juices).

Avoid Milk and milk products. Exceptions are buttermilk and yogurt, which are often tolerated because lactose is altered by the presence of Lactobacillus. Processed cheese may also be tolerated because the lactose is removed with the whey when it is separated from the cheese curd. Milkshake supplements such as Ensure are lactose free and may be used.

AVOID THE FOLLOWING
Whole-bran bread and cereal.
Nuts, seeds, and coconuts.
Fried, greasy, or fatty foods.
Fresh and dried fruit and some fruit juices such as prune juice.
Raw vegetables.
Rich pastries.
Popcorn, potato chips, and pretzels.
Strong spices and herbs.
Chocolate, coffee, tea, and soft drinks with caffeine.
Alcohol and tobacco.

FOODS TO EAT
Fish, poultry, and meat that is cooked, broiled, or roasted.
Bananas, applesauce, peeled apples, and apple and grape juices.
White bread and toast.
Macaroni and noodles.
Baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes.
Cooked vegetables that are mild, such as asparagus tips, green and waxed beans, carrots, spinach, and squash.
Mild processed cheese, eggs, smooth peanut butter, buttermilk, and yogurt.
Helpful hints

Ingest food at room temperature.
Drink 3 LITRES of fluid per day. Allow carbonated beverages to lose carbonation before being ingested.
Add nutmeg to food, which will help decrease mobility of GI tract.
Start a low-residue diet on day 1 of radiation therapy treatment.

MEDICATIONS THAT MAY BE PRESCRIBED
1 Lomitil, Gastron,Immodium
2 Kantrexel,Smecta, Pectin
3 Buscopan, Colofac
4 Codeine Phosphate, Morphine

Rehydrate with a rehydration solution, Energade, Isotonic Game etc

When should you call your doctor?

Diarrhea typically causes stomach cramps and loose, watery stools. Mostly it’s an inconvenience. But if your symptoms persist or get worse, it could be a sign of something more serious. Diarrhea can also lead to other problems, such as severe dehydration.

Some signs and symptoms are more serious than others are. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following:

Six or more loose bowel movements a day for more than two days
Blood in your stool
Inability to urinate for 12 hours or more
Inability to drink liquids
Weight loss due to diarrhea
Diarrhea after several days of constipation
Severe abdominal pain
Fever of 101 F (38.3 C) or higher
Shaking chills
If your diarrhea doesn’t seem severe but starts to interfere with your daily activities, such as if you’re concerned about leaving home or going somewhere without a bathroom nearby, talk to your doctor. If abdominal cramping is keeping you from your daily activities, discuss this with your doctor, as well.

RADIOTHERAPY, SKIN REACTIONS

SKIN CHANGES DURING RADIOTHERAPY

Dr Bassa Oncology

Skin changes are common and expected during radiation therapy. Each person reacts to treatment in a different way. The likelihood and severity of a skin reaction depends on:

The area being treated
The type and dose of radiation given
Whether or not you are also getting chemotherapy
After 2 or 3 weeks of radiation therapy, your skin may become pink or tanned. As your treatment continues, your skin may become bright red or very dark. Your skin may also feel dry and itchy and look flaky. Some people develop a rash or blisters in the treatment area. These blisters may open and peel. If you develop skin reactions, it will most likely improve 3 to 4 weeks after your treatment is finished.

Caring for Your Skin During Radiation Therapy

Keep your skin clean

Bathe or shower daily using warm water and a mild, unscented soap. Examples of soaps you can use include Neutrogena®, Dove®, and Cetaphil®. Rinse your skin well and pat it dry with a soft towel. When washing, be gentle with your skin in the area being treated. Do not use a washcloth or a scrubbing cloth or brush. The tattoo marks you received before treatment are permanent and won’t wash off. You may get other markings during treatment such as an outline of your treatment area with a purple felt-tipped marker. You can remove these markings with mineral oil when your radiation oncologist says it’s okay.

Do not use alcohol or alcohol pads on the skin in the area being treated.
Moisturize your skin often
If you are likely to get a skin reaction, your nurse will recommend that you start using a moisturizer. You should start using it the first day of your treatment to minimize the reaction. If you are not likely to develop a skin reaction, you will not need a moisturizer unless your skin becomes dry or itchy. The best moisturizer is bland, non fragranted aqueous cream. If the itching is severe then a mild steroid may be prescribed.

Apply the moisturizer at least 2 times a day.
If your radiation treatment is in the morning, apply it:
After your treatment
Before you go to bed
If your radiation treatment is in the afternoon, apply it:
In the morning before your treatment
Before you go to bed
On days you are not being treated, apply it:
In the morning
Before you go to bed
Do not wash off the moisturizer before your treatment. Your skin could become irritated.
Avoid irritating your skin in the treatment area
Wear loose-fitting, cotton clothing over the treated area.
Use only the moisturizers, creams, or lotions that are recommended by your doctor or nurse.

Do not use any of the following in the area being treated:
Makeup
Perfumes
Powders
Aftershave

Do not shave the treated skin. If you must shave, use only an electric razor.
Do not put any tape on the treated skin.
Do not let your treated skin come into contact with extreme hot or cold temperatures. This includes hot tubs, water bottles, heating pads, and ice packs.
Do not apply any patches to the treated area, including pain patches.
If your skin is itchy, do not scratch it. Ask your nurse for recommendation on how to relieve the itching.
If you have no skin reactions, you can swim in a chlorinated pool. However, be sure to rinse off the chlorine right after getting out of the pool.
Avoid tanning or burning your skin during and after you are finished with treatment. If you are going to be in the sun, use a PABA-free sunblock with an SPF of 30 or higher. Also, wear loose-fitting clothing that covers you as much as possible.
If you have any silver-containing bandages, remove them and clean the area before treatment.

RADIOTHERAPY

RADIOTHERAPY

Dr Bassa Oncology

What is radiation therapy? When is it used?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, or protons, to destroy or damage cancer cells. Other names for radiation therapy are radiotherapy, irradiation, or x-ray therapy.

Radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer. It’s often part of the treatment for certain types of cancer, such as cancers of the head and neck, bladder, lung, and Hodgkin disease. Many other cancers are also treated with radiation therapy.

Radiation can be given alone or used with other treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy. In fact, certain drugs are known to be radiosensitizers (ray-dee-oh-SENS-it-tie-zers). This means they can actually make the cancer cells more sensitive to radiation, which helps the radiation to better kill cancer cells.

There are also different ways to give radiation. Sometimes a patient gets more than one type of radiation treatment for the same cancer.

How does radiation therapy work?
Radiation therapy uses special equipment to send high doses of radiation to the cancer cells.

Most cells in the body grow and divide to form new cells. But cancer cells grow and divide faster than many of the normal cells around them. Radiation works by making small breaks in the DNA inside cells. These breaks keep cancer cells from growing and dividing, and often cause them to die. Nearby normal cells can also be affected by radiation, but most recover and go back to working the way they should.

Unlike chemotherapy, which exposes the whole body to cancer-fighting drugs, radiation therapy is usually a local treatment. It’s aimed at and affects only the part of the body being treated. The goal of radiation treatment is to damage cancer cells, with as little harm as possible to nearby healthy tissue.

Some treatments use radioactive substances that are given in a vein or by mouth. In this case, the radiation does travel throughout the body. But for the most part, the radioactive substance collects in the area of the tumor, so there’s little effect on the rest of the body.