Radiation treatment for lung cancer is one of the best options to reduce the symptoms of cancerous cells. Besides, every end of the treatment is the beginning of a new chapter in life. Each cancer patient wishes to end the turmoil feeling of cancer. Yet, radiation therapy can leave few side effects. Moreover, radiation therapy sometimes is not enough to treat cancer. Thus, the patient may undergo a complete examination or further treatment.
Besides, the doctors at S L Raheja Hospital offer complete treatment options. Lung cancer treatment includes:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation Therapy
- Supportive Care (watchful waiting, supportive medical procedures, and Care)
Diagnosed with cancer can bring a discomfort. Thus, further, we will discover what to expect after radiation treatment. It also has useful guides that may be helpful to your family members who are helping you during your treatment. We hope this information helps in making decisions about your treatments.
How Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer works?
Once the doctor decides to go with radiation therapy, a drawing board takes place. The individual will initially go through a simulation check on a unique CT scanner. IV or oral comparison may be made using. If a gadget is required to keep the patient still (such as a mask), this is made at the simulation scan visit.
The doctor will then outline the location of the tumor. In addition, the expert also points out the affected areas that need to be prevented. The radiation strategy is established and examined by dosimetrists, clinical physicists, and radiation oncologists. The radiation strategy after that undergoes quality and also safety checks.
The therapy is provided on the treatment units by radiation therapists. In addition, the radiation oncologist will work with other staff members, nurses, and dieticians. Many top oncologists in India highly recommend radiation treatment for lung cancer.
Regeneration of Cancerous Cells
Radiation therapy directly kills the DNA of the cancerous cells. However, few are not broken perfectly. The DNA strands are not broken, creating problems in the blood cells. The old cells which were not able to destroy, those cells get regenerated.
It means that the cells rejuvenate and grow rapidly in the body. The rejuvenation of the old cancerous cells is a serious threat to blood cells. The cancerous cells return and damage another part of the organs.
Side Effects of Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer:-
Skin changes. Some people that receive radiation treatment experience dry skin, itching, blistering, or peeling. These side effects depend upon which body obtained radiation therapy and other variables. Skin modifications from radiation treatment normally disappear a couple of weeks after therapy ends.
Tiredness. Exhaustion is a term used to define feeling exhausted nearly all the time. Numerous individuals experience fatigue. Your level of fatigue frequently depends on your treatment plan. For example, radiation treatment integrated with radiation treatment might cause more tiredness. Learn just how to cope with fatigue.
Lasting side effects. The majority of side effects disappear after therapy. However, some continue, come back, or create later on. These are called long-term or late results. One possible late result is the development of a 2nd cancer cells. It is a new sort of cancer cell created due to the initial cancer cells treatment. The threat of this late impact is low. As well as the threat is frequently smaller than the advantage of treating first cancer.
Once the side effects are revealed, you shall take a consultation from the top oncologist in India. Besides, Credihealth allows you to get the best medical facilities from the leading multispeciality hospital, such as S L Raheja Hospital. Thus, after the radiation therapy for lung cancer, the doctor may suggest a check-up/health examination. In addition, you can expect supportive Care for lung cancer.
Can I expect supportive care after Radiation Treatment for Lung Cancer?
Supportive care after the treatment includes helping the person diagnosed with lung cancer get back to their daily activities. A person with early-stage lung cancer may not need treatment at all. They may be able to take some over-the-counter medication. If cancer has spread, they may need surgery that removes all of the cells in the area where it starts (the surgery is called a lobectomy).
Top multispecialty hospital in India, such as S L Raheja Hospital, offers supportive Care for lung cancer patients. You can expect a support care group to meet and interact with other cancer patients. Furthermore, you can share your stories and offer support to each other.
Complete Health check-up for Lung Cancer Patient
Radiation therapy helps to kill the growth of cancerous cells. However, it may affect and cause a few side effects. For some patients, the side effects are not easy to tackle. It causes more health complications.
Therefore a complete check-up after the radiation therapy might help monitor the possible threat. Lung cancer survivors are also at risk of developing second or first cancer in another organ.
Chemotherapy after radiation treatment
You may get chemo before surgery or other treatments to shrink the tumor or remove any cancer cells that remain after surgery. In addition, you may get chemo when there are too many cancer cells for surgery to remove them all.
It is a general term for a particular group of drugs that fight against cancer. The doctor will offer chemotherapy in a series of sessions. It means you will receive it with a rest period between each cycle. The length of treatment depends on your type and stage of cancer and your general health.
The patient may get chemotherapy alone or with other anticancer drugs, like antimetabolites (e.g., 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine) and other agents that can slow the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes they need to grow (e.g., methotrexate). Furthermore, the side effects depend on the type of dose. Radiation treatment for lung cancer may be a good option to kill the cancerous cells. However, it is not enough. Hence, the doctors may suggest chemotherapy sessions after the radiation treatment.
In conclusion,
The doctor will monitor you for any signs of recurrence after your treatment completes. For example, if the doctor treated your lung cancer with surgery, the surgeon will check for any signs of new tumors on your chest x-ray every three months.
If it is not possible to get an x-ray, the doctor may regularly schedule physical exams or CT scans to look for new tumors or metastases (cancer cells that spread to other parts of the body).
In a complete health check-up, you can expect the doctor to do a general physical exam and may order a urinalysis, blood tests, or other specific tests if needed.
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