Side effect

Some people may experience side effects of radiation therapy. The type and severity of side effects depend on many factors, including radiation exposure, treatment frequency, and your overall health condition.
The following are the most common side effects of breast or chest wall radiation therapy. You may experience all or some of the following side effects, or you may not experience them at all.

Skin and hair reactions

During radiation therapy, the skin and hair in the treated area may undergo changes.
The skin may turn pink, red, brown, or look like sunburn. You may experience blisters, skin wrinkles under your arms and breasts, skin peeling on your collarbone, and other areas that have been exposed to sunlight earlier in the radiation therapy area.
The skin may also become very sensitive and itchy. Breasts undergoing treatment may experience swelling and tenderness.
Part or all of the hair under the treated arm may fall off. Hair usually grows back after 2-4 months.
You may also notice a rash, especially in areas previously exposed to sunlight. Although this may be a side effect of treatment, a rash may also be a sign of infection. If you experience a rash at any time during treatment, please inform your doctor or nurse.
Your nurse may apply a special dressing or cream to you and teach you how to care for your skin. Your doctor may stop your current treatment until the skin heals. Within a week after treatment, skin reactions may sometimes worsen. If this situation occurs, please call your doctor or nurse.
The skin reaction caused by radiation therapy is usually most severe one or two weeks after the end of radiation therapy, and then begins to heal. Recovery usually takes 3-4 weeks.
The following are guidelines to help you care for your skin during treatment. Please follow these guidelines until your skin condition improves. These guidelines only pertain to the skin in the area receiving radiation therapy.

Maintain skin cleanliness

  Use warm water and mild odorless soap (such as Neutrogena) every day ®、 Dove ®、 Baby soap, Basis ® Or Cetaphil ®） Take a bath or shower. Rinse the skin thoroughly and pat lightly with a soft towel to absorb moisture.
  When cleaning, please gently treat the skin in the treatment area. Do not use towels, bath towels, or brushes.
  The tattoo marks before treatment are permanent and cannot be removed. During treatment, other marks may appear on your skin, such as the contour of the treatment area (marked with a purple felt tip marker). You can follow the instructions of the radiation therapist to remove these marks with mineral oil.
  Do not use alcohol or alcohol cotton pads on the skin of the treatment area.

Regularly moisturize your skin

  After treatment begins, use moisturizers frequently. This will help minimize any skin reactions to the greatest extent possible. You can use over-the-counter moisturizers. When choosing a moisturizer, please choose a moisturizer that does not contain any essence or lanolin. There are many products that are very useful, and your nurse may recommend one of them to you. Please use only one product at a time, unless your nurse informs you that you can use multiple products.
  If using moisturizers, please apply twice a day.
  You may also receive medication prescriptions for treating skin itching at the beginning or during radiotherapy.

Avoid irritating the skin in the treatment area

  Please wear loose cotton clothing and underwear in the treatment area. Please avoid wearing tight fitting clothing that can rub against the skin, including women's hooded bras.
  Use only moisturizers, cream or lotion recommended by your radiation oncologist or nurse.
  Do not use cosmetics, perfume, powder or aftershave in the treatment area.
  Do not apply tape to treated skin
  If you feel itchy skin, do not scratch. Please use moisturizing agents. You can consult a nurse for advice on how to relieve itching.
  Do not shave the treatment area. If you must shave your hair, only use an electric shaver. If your skin is irritated, please stop shaving.
  Do not allow treated skin to come into contact with extreme high or low temperatures. This includes a hot tub, water bottle, heating pad, and ice bag.
  If you do not experience any skin reactions during treatment, you can swim in a chlorine containing swimming pool. However, please ensure to rinse off the chlorine immediately after leaving the swimming pool.
  Please avoid tanning or burning the skin during treatment and for the rest of your life. If you will be exposed to sunlight, please use sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher that does not contain PABA. In addition, please try to wear loose clothing that can cover the entire body as much as possible.

Skin care during cancer radiotherapy

Before undergoing radiotherapy, patients should take a shower to keep the skin of the radiotherapy field clean. Patients undergoing chest wall irradiation must wait for their surgical incision to fully heal before undergoing irradiation
During radiotherapy, due to the stimulation of radiation, the skin of the irradiation field may experience grade I, II, and III skin reactions, which are temporary
1. For patients with itchy skin, they can be instructed to gently pat the itchy area with their hands or apply borneol talcum powder externally. However, borneol talcum powder should not be used too much to prevent clogging of pores and causing folliculitis. Patients should not scratch with their hands, as this can lead to skin ulceration, infection, and long-term non healing
2. Dry dermatitis can be treated with topical application of biafen 2-3 times to protect the skin of the radiotherapy field; For local exudative skin reactions, the damaged area of the skin can be exposed to keep it dry, or drugs with astringent effects can be applied to the damaged area to make it dry and heal
3. When there is a large area of skin damage, radiation therapy should be stopped and symptomatic treatment should be taken. When combined with infection, anti infection measures should be taken to keep the wound clean and dry, in order to facilitate healing
In addition, to avoid local irritation, underwear should be soft, spacious, and highly hygroscopic. Do not expose to sunlight during exposure
Keep the signs of the irradiation field clear, do not use soap to wipe or adhesive tape to stick inside the irradiation field. When the sign is not clear, remember not to draw it casually. Be sure to ask the supervising doctor to draw it clearly
Measures to protect the skin include avoiding wearing restricted clothing, avoiding adhesives, irritating chemicals, heating and sunlight exposure, and trauma. Even if there is only minor trauma, such as erythema and dry scaling, treat according to the guidelines and apply hydrogel or steroid ointment. Wet peeling should also be treated according to the above methods, and non adhesive dressing or foam dressing should be used to manage the wound environment. Covering the upper mouth, preventing fluid evaporation, controlling pain, and reducing the risk of infection are important.