What are the long-term side effects of breast cancer radiation?
Long-term effects of radiation therapy
- Radiation therapy causes changes to the skin and underlying tissues so the breast may feel firmer and be slightly smaller after treatment.
- Some patients experience breathlessness, a dry cough, and/or chest pain two to three months after finishing radiation therapy.
Can radiotherapy have side effects years later?
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.
What is a potential long-term side effect of radiation therapy?
you might have permanent hair loss within the treated area. you might develop red spidery marks on your skin (telangiectasia) caused by small broken blood vessels. drainage channels to the arms or legs can become partly blocked resulting in swelling called lymphoedema.
What are some long-term effects of radiation?
Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome (“radiation sickness”). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
What can become a part of long term side effects of breast cancer treatment?
These long-term and late side effects may include:
- Fatigue.
- Headaches.
- Pain and numbness (peripheral neuropathy)
- Dental issues.
- Lymphedema.
- Musculoskeletal symptoms.
- Bone loss and osteoporosis.
- Heart problems.
Does breast cancer radiation weaken your immune system?
Certain cancer treatments (such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, or steroids) or the cancer itself can suppress or weaken the immune system. These treatments can lower the number of white blood cells (WBCs) and other immune system cells.
What does breast radiation do to the body?
Radiation to the breast can sometimes damage some of the nerves to the arm. This is called brachial plexopathy and can lead to numbness, pain, and weakness in the shoulder, arm, and hand. Radiation to the underarm lymph nodes might cause lymphedema, a type of pain and swelling in the arm or chest.
Does breast radiation weaken your immune system?
Radiation therapy can potentially affect your immune system, especially if a significant amount of bone marrow is being irradiated because of its role in creating white blood cells. However, this doesn’t typically suppress the immune system enough to make you more susceptible to infections.
How long does it take to fully recover from radiation therapy?
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.
How long does breast radiation side effects last?
Most skin changes get better within a few months. Changes to the breast tissue usually go away in 6 to 12 months, but it can take longer.
How long are you immunocompromised after radiation?
It might take from 10 days to many months for the immune system to recover completely. Surgery also breaks the skin and can damage mucous membranes and tissue under the skin, causing it to be exposed to germs.
Which breast cancer is most likely to recur?
Younger age. Younger people, particularly those under age 35 at the time of their original breast cancer diagnosis, face a higher risk of recurrent breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer. People with inflammatory breast cancer have a higher risk of local recurrence.
Do you ever fully recover from radiation?
The healthy cells almost always recover after treatment is over. But sometimes people may have side effects that are severe or do not get better. Other side effects may show up months or years after radiation therapy is over. These are called late side effects.