Breast Cancer Advice Center

Anyone have any reactions to radiation treatment for breast cancer?

Public Comments

1. Hair loss and sores in the mouth from radiation.
2. I have not had treatments myself, but I've treated many patients with breast cancer and know what reactions can occur. Remember, radiation side effects can ONLY affect the site that we are treating. Therefore, you will not get mouth sores or hair loss (except the armpit) from breast cancer treatment.
   
   In the first few sessions of RT, you may notice some swelling and possible a 'warm' sensation in the area of treatment. This is due to the vasodilation of the blood vessels in the area. This only lasts for a few days.
   
   The most common side effect is reddening of the skin (erythema). This typically occurs around 2 weeks into the treatment. It starts off with your skin turning a little pink, then it may get darker and start to peel like a sunburn. Severe skin reactions can result in open sores from where the skin has sloughed off. The severity of the reaction depends on how sensitive your skin is, what dose you are receiving, and also if a layer of 'bolus' (tissue equivalent material which brings the dose up to the surface of the skin) is placed onver the area.
   
   It is recommended to use a glaxol based or water based cream that has no added perfumes/sunscreens over the treatment area to minimize the skin reaction. If need be, your radiation oncologist can give you a prescription for betamethasone cream or even flamazine if the skin starts to break down. Common sense tells you that you should be gentle with this area. No scratching or rubbing against tight clothing, pat dry only, don't use excessively hot or cold water to wash, use mild soap, no deodorants (under the affected side), and definately no topless suntanning.
   
   Other side effects can possibly include fatigue, cough (if a bit of your lung is in the treatment area), sore throat (if it's in the treatment area), joint/muscle pain/stiffness (depending on what position you are required to put your arm and also what equipment they have to make you comfortable). These vary with each person. If you're lucky, you won't have any side effects at all. The presence of side effects is not a prognostic factor unless it is required to halt the treatment or lower the dosage.
   
   The majority of breast cancer patients that I've seen have few side effects and are typically easily manageable with some due care.
   
   Hope this helps.
3. My reaction was that of a moderate sunburn. I used the ointment they gave me and it helped a great deal. Fatigue was minimal for me.
4. NIH has known what to do for breast cancer since 1970
   
   Read the cancer testimonials and information on my page.