Radiotherapy in cancer care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Radiotherapy in cancer care - Essay Example Nevertheless, besides radiotherapy destroying the cancers cells, it also affects the normal tissues of the person receiving the treatment. This unintentional damage of normal tissues is often termed as toxicity. This toxicity often comes in hand with many sides effects. These include fatigue, radiation enteritis, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, hair loss, sore skin and joint or muscle stiffness. In cancer treatment, fatigue is a common side effect of radiation treatment. Fatigue is the most distressing symptom. It is much beyond the burden caused by nausea and pain. Research has proved that more than 75% of the patients who undergo radiotherapy in their cancer treatment complain of fatigue during and after the process (Cancer Net, n.d). This has induced a negative effect on the management of cancer. This is because it sometimes becomes severe affecting the life of the patients (Barsevick, Dudley & Beck, 2006). According to Dr, Vogelzang report, about a third of the patients considered fatigue as the most significant symptom of radiotherapy while almost 70% described it as the worst side effect. Studies have found that fatigue and skin problems were the most frequently reported side effects of patients undergoing radiation for lung cancer, although levels of fatigue were higher at the start of treatment compared to women treated with radiotherapy for breast cancer (Corner, & Bailey, 2009). Fatigue is recognized as a common symptom of radiotherapy, which not only occurs during treatment but also continues after the Radiotherapy has ended. The incidence of moderate to severe fatigue following radiotherapy has been reported as between 32% and 59% of those undergoing treatment trajectories (Dauz, Duccy, Scars, et al, 2001). Research has shown that management of fatigue is often limited during radiotherapy, with an undue focus on anaemia-related problems rather than providing wider support