What are the side effects of radiotherapy for lung cancer? 7 major side effects of radiotherapy for lung cancer that you should know

As we all know, the main treatments for lung cancer are radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Many people think chemotherapy is painful, so they choose radiotherapy. However, radiotherapy can also cause harm to the human body. So what are the side effects of radiotherapy? Experts recommend that you learn about these common sense and try to reduce the occurrence of these side effects, so that you will suffer less pain.

Radiotherapy for lung cancer can cause radiation pneumonitis and other local reactions. The main side effects are as follows:

1. Radiotherapy may cause local bone marrow suppression, radiation inflammation, etc. Other symptoms include weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, etc.

2. Too much radiotherapy will damage the nerves and can only eliminate the surface of the tumor but cannot completely cure the tumor;

3. The side effects of radiotherapy for lung cancer mainly include radiation esophagitis, the main manifestation of which is pain when eating and pain behind the sternum;

4. Lung damage is mainly radiation pneumonitis, which appears about 6 weeks after radiation, with symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, fever, chest tightness, and accompanied by lung infection;

5. Radiotherapy can also cause heart damage, so pay attention to check the electrocardiogram;.

6. Radiotherapy can also cause radiation myelitis, which manifests as bone marrow suppression, that is, a decrease in white blood cells and platelets in the blood, usually occurring in the late stages of radiotherapy;

7. The effect of radiotherapy on hematopoiesis is not as great as that of chemotherapy, but simultaneous radiotherapy and chemotherapy will aggravate bone marrow suppression.

It can be seen that radiotherapy is very harmful to the human body. It is normal if you experience the above symptoms after radiotherapy. However, we still have ways to relieve pain. You should consult your attending physician for specific methods! The doctor will tell you the specific method, and you just need to follow it, and you will feel better.