Why Does Radiation Cause Fatigue

How Long Does It Take To Feel Normal After Radiation

Most side effects generally go away within a few weeks to 2 months of finishing treatment. But some side effects may continue after treatment is over because it takes time for healthy cells to recover from the effects of radiation therapy. Late side effects can happen months or years after treatment.

Other Possible Causes Of Fatigue During Cancer Treatment

Vitamin D deficiency is common in the general population. Correcting this deficiency in otherwise healthy people has been shown to improve self-reported fatigue. If youre fatigued due to vitamin D deficiency going into treatment, cancer therapy may be less successful and result in more side effects like peripheral neuropathy .

For example, one study of breast cancer patients being treated with paclitaxel showed that pre-treating vitamin D deficiency reduced the incidence of peripheral neuropathy and also led to fewer treatment disruptions and better treatment outcomes.

Another study showed correcting vitamin D deficiency may ease gastrointestinal mucositis, a painful inflammation and ulceration of the digestive tract, in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Consider getting your vitamin D levels checked periodically. In my practice, I often check it at least twice a year to get a better understanding of the patients vitamin D rhythms from summer to winter. I recommend levels of approximately 50-80 nanograms per milliliter .

When you check your levels is important, though. Levels tend to be higher during the summer, when people are spending more time in sunlight, and lowest at the end of winter. So, if you check it in the middle of the summer and your level is 30, thats low for the targeted endpoint of 50-80 ng/ml. But if its 30 at the end of winter, that means it likely was in the therapeutic range during winter, and your levels may be sufficient.

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What Are The Side Effects Of Radiation Therapy

The side effects of radiation therapy depend on the area of the body that receives radiation. Early side effects happen shortly after you receive radiation therapy. Late side effects can happen months to years after you receive radiation therapy. Late side effects of radiation therapy may be permanent. Early and late side effects may include any of the following:

Fatigue or loss of energy

Pain in the area of the body that is being treated
Skin changes such as a sunburn or red skin
Hair loss in the area receiving radiation

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or indigestion
Sores, pain, or dryness in your mouth
Difficulty urinating

Sexual dysfunction

Why Do I Sometimes Feel Tired After Radiation Therapy

One of the most common side effects cancer patients experience is fatigue. During treatment, some patients may feel particularly tired after receiving radiation therapy.

Fatigue can result when the immune system responds to an injury or wound. This occurs because the immune system uses energy to fight infection and sends out substances that make the body want to rest so it can heal. A bad scrape on the arm, for example, triggers an immune response that causes the site of the wound to become inflamed and can produce some general fatigue. Radiation therapy works by destroying diseased, cancerous tissue creating a wound that sparks a similar immune response.

The amount of fatigue produced by radiation therapy varies with the part of the body being treated, says Anthony DAmico, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Genitourinary Radiation Oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Womens Cancer Center.

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If radiation is delivered to the brain, which controls awareness and overall energy, the resulting swelling often produces significant fatigue. Radiation directed at the prostate an acorn-sized gland is likely to produce much less. A middle example would be rectal cancer, where radiation reaching the bone marrow in the hips could lead to a general feeling of fatigue.

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It Is Not Clear How Cancer Treatments Cause Fatigue

It is unclear how cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy cause fatigue.

When cancer treatment begins, many patients are already tired from medical tests, surgery, and the emotional stress of coping with the cancer diagnosis. Fatigue may get worse during treatment.

Different cancer treatments have different effects on a patients energy level. The type and schedule of treatments can affect the amount of fatigue caused by cancer treatment. Some patients have more fatigue after cancer treatments than others do.

Fatigue related to surgery

Fatigue is often a side effect of surgery, but patients usually feel better with time. However, fatigue related to surgery can be worse when the surgery is combined with other cancer treatments.

Fatigue caused by chemotherapy

Patients treated with chemotherapy usually feel the most fatigue in the days right after each treatment. Then the fatigue decreases until the next treatment. Some studies have shown that patients have the most severe fatigue about mid-way through all the cycles of chemotherapy. Fatigue decreases after chemotherapy is finished, but patients may not feel back to normal until a month or more after the last treatment.

Fatigue during chemotherapy may be increased by the following:

Lack of sleep caused by some anticancer drugs.

Fatigue caused by radiation therapy

Fatigue caused by hormone therapy

Fatigue caused by immunotherapy

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Ways To Boost Your Quality Of Life During Prostate Cancer Treatment

A diagnosis of prostate cancer can seem overwhelming, especially when treatment begins. Although its a treatable disease the 5-year survival rate is about 98 percent, according to the American Cancer Society some of the prostate cancer treatments can come with side effects, such as incontinence and erection problems.

Its frightening to think about having a potentially life-threatening disease, says Jack David Marcus, 75, a prostate cancer survivor who volunteers at the New York City chapter of Us Too International, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide knowledge, empowerment, compassion, collaboration, encouragement, and hope to men with prostate cancer and their families. Its tough on the cancer fighter and .

But the important thing to remember is that there are things you can do to help cope with treatment for prostate cancer, Marcus says. Find a good doctor at a good medical center, he says, and youre off to a good start.

Just like you have to sort out the medical problems, you have to deal with the psychological needs, too, says Michael J. Morris, MD, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. That applies to not only the man with cancer but also his family and friends.

How Is Cancer Fatigue Diagnosed

Your healthcare provider will assess your symptoms. You may be asked to complete a questionnaire or rate your fatigue level. Your provider may ask you to keep a journal to track your level of fatigue and factors that might contribute to fatigue.

Blood tests can check for anemia, signs of infection or other problems that cause fatigue.

Are There Options To Prevent Or Treat Side Effects Caused By Radiation Therapy

What Are the Side Effects of Radiation Treatment?

Yes. Your health care team can help you prevent or relieve many side effects. Preventing and treating side effects is an important part of your overall cancer treatment. This is called palliative care or supportive care.

Before treatment begins, ask what side effects are likely from the specific type of treatment you are receiving and when they may happen. During and after treatment, let your health care team know how you are feeling on a regular basis. This includes if you are experiencing a new side effect, or a problem persists or has gotten worse.

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Why Does Radiotherapy Make You So Tired

Radiotherapy can cause tiredness because the body is using up your energy reserves to repair healthy cells damaged by the radiotherapy. If you are taking steroids, you might also find that you feel extremely tired when you stop taking them. Travelling to the hospital each day for treatment can also make you tired.

How Long Do Side Effects Last After Radiation Treatment

Early side effects happen during or shortly after treatment. These side effects tend to be short-term, mild, and treatable. Theyre usually gone within a few weeks after treatment ends. The most common early side effects are fatigue and skin changes. Other early side effects usually are related to the area being treated, such as hair loss and mouth problems when radiation treatment is given to this area.

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How Long Does It Take For Radiation To Cause Side Effects

Late side effects can take months or even years to develop. They can occur in any normal tissue in the body that has received radiation. The risk of late side effects depends on the area treated as well as the radiation dose that was used. Careful treatment planning can help avoid serious long-term side effects.

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One way to reduce side effects is by using radioprotective drugs, but these are only used for certain types of radiation given to certain parts of the body. These drugs are given before radiation treatment to protect certain normal tissues in the treatment area. The one most commonly used today is amifostine. This drug may be used in people with head and neck cancer to reduce the mouth problems caused by radiation therapy.

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What Does Breast Cancer Radiation Fatigue Feel Like

With cancer fatigue, you feel tired all the time sleeping more doesnt help. Cancer fatigue can dramatically affect your quality of life by making you feel too exhausted to participate in your usual activities and social events. In many cases, physical fatigue can lead to mental fatigue and mood changes.

How Can I Reduce Fatigue From Radiation Treatment

Andrea Barsevick answers the question: ‘How to Cut Fatigue from Radiation?’

& #151 — Question: What can I do to reduce fatigue caused by my radiation treatments?

Answer: There are two ways that you can manage your fatigue. First, if your fatigue is because of anemia, you can talk to your doctor about that and get your anemia treated. But if your fatigue is not caused by anemia — if it’s just the general fatigue that accompanies radiation therapy — then the most effective way that we have for managing that right now is exercise. Exercise has been shown in several research studies to be a very effective way of managing not only the fatigue that you feel, but also, if there’s any sleep disturbance, reducing that — and in that way, reducing fatigue. The exercise does not have to be on any grand scale. In fact, one of the studies was done using simple walking exercise, just women walking around their neighborhood, who were undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer. And they reported much less fatigue and much less problems with sleeping because they were exercising regularly.

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Pain And Skin Changes

During and just after treatment, your treated breast may be sore. Talk with your health care provider about using mild pain relievers such as ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen to ease breast tenderness.

The treated breast may also be rough to the touch, red , swollen and itchy. Sometimes the skin may peel, as if sunburned. Your provider may suggest special creams to ease this discomfort.

Sometimes the skin peels further and the area becomes tender and sensitive. This is called a moist reaction. Its most common in the skin folds and the underside of the breast.

If a moist reaction occurs, let your radiation team know. They can give you creams and pads to make the area more comfortable until it heals.

Fatigue is common during radiation therapy and may last for several weeks after treatment ends.

Fatigue is mainly a short-term problem, but for some, it can persist .

You may feel like you dont have any energy and may feel tired all of the time. Resting may not help.

Regular exercise, even just walking for 20 minutes every day, may help reduce fatigue . Getting a good nights sleep is also important.

Talk with your health care provider if you are fatigued or have problems sleeping .

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Mitochondria Bioenergetics And Radiation

Fatigue, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

In addition to the evidence that inflammation, immune, and anemia-modulated processes contribute to RIF, it is likely that mitochondrial energetics also play a role in the pathobiology of RIF. There is evidence that an increase in ROS formation from RT will cause cellular damage resulting in dysfunction to the mitochondria . ROS are considered one of the major direct causes of ionizing radiation-induced damage , resulting in a number of adverse effects that reduce the efficacy of treatment . It is known that radiation-induced damage alters mitochondrial metabolism, inhibits the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and forms highly reactive peroxynitrite . Once mitochondrial proteins are damaged, the affinity of substrates or enzymes is decreased resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction .

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Causes Of Cancer Fatigue

Many things can cause fatigue in people with cancer. This includes the cancer itself and the type of treatment you might have.

Doctors donât fully understand what causes cancer related fatigue. But we know that a number of things can make it worse. Fatigue is often worse in people who:

are having a combination of treatments
have advanced cancer

Itâs important that you know you may be more likely to suffer from fatigue if you fall into one of these groups.

Find out about the symptoms of fatigue

What Are The Dangers Of Radiotherapy Prostate Cancer Treatment

Radiotherapy is considered effective for treatment of cancer with a success rate of above 90%. But is it safe for prostate cancer treatment? Does it cause any side effects? And if yes, are radiation therapy side effects reversible?

Well, radio frequency is pain-free and considered safe for prostate cancer treatment. To help you understand the safety of this procedure we shall look at both the short and long-term side effects resulting from this treatment.

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If Youre Getting Radiation Therapy To The Brain

People with brain tumors often get stereotactic radiosurgery if the cancer is in only one or a few sites in the brain. Side effects depend on where the radiation is aimed. Some side effects might show up quickly, but others might not show up until 1 to 2 years after treatment. Talk with your radiation oncologist about what to watch for and when to call your doctor.

If the cancer is in many areas, sometimes the whole brain is treated with radiation. The side effects of whole brain radiation therapy may not be noticeable until a few weeks after treatment begins.

Radiation to the brain can cause these short-term side effects:

Trouble with memory and speech

Some of these side effects can happen because radiation has caused the brain to swell. Medicines are usually given to prevent brain swelling, but its important to let your cancer care team know about headaches or any other symptoms. Treatment can affect each person differently, and you may not have these particular side effects.

Radiation to the brain can also have side effects that show up later usually from 6 months to many years after treatment ends. These delayed effects can include serious problems such as memory loss, stroke-like symptoms, and poor brain function. You may also have an increased risk of having another tumor in the area, although this is not common.

Talk with your cancer care team about what to expect from your specific treatment plan.

How We Treat Cancer At Ctca

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We only treat cancer at CTCA. Our team of multidisciplinary cancer experts takes a personalized, patient-centered approach to treating cancer and its side effects.

In addition to using conventional cancer treatments to attack the cancer itself, we provide evidence-informed supportive care therapies to help patients tolerate treatment and reduce side effects, including:

Nutritional support, which includes the option of meeting with a registered dietitian wholl develop a personalized plan for your nutritional needs

Behavioral health care, which may include working with therapists to help with depression, anxiety and stress, and using techniques such as talk therapy, mindfulness and relaxation techniques
Access to professionally led support groups for patients and their loved ones, both in-person and online, including our Cancer Fighters community, where you can connect with cancer survivors
Naturopathic support, which includes consultations with our naturopathic providers who counsel patients on the use of natural, non-toxic techniques to support the healing process

Providers at CTCA work together under one roof, providing convenient access for patients.

If youd like to get a second opinion or talk to someone at CTCA about getting help for fatigue or other cancer-related side effects youre experiencing, or chat online with a member of our team.

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