Breast cancer Radiotherapy is one of the important adjuvant treatments for breast cancer patients before and after surgery. If you are familiar with the precautions of breast cancer radiotherapy and use it properly, it can effectively improve the cure rate of breast cancer and improve the quality of life of patients. Now let's follow the small doctor to see how to reduce the side effects of radiotherapy for breast cancer.

How to reduce the side effects of radiotherapy for breast cancer

An important principle of radiotherapy is to reduce the side effects of radiotherapy on patients, and correct nursing is a direct and effective method to reduce the side effects of radiotherapy. Specifically, the following five aspects should be achieved:
1、To reduce exposure to strong sunlight and cool winds;
2、To reduce trauma, especially after undergoing surgery, for example, some patients may change their clothes after radiation therapy, which are made of synthetic fibers. Even after radiation therapy, it may cause inflammation, damage, and so on. In the early stage, it may manifest as inflammation and swelling, but in the later stage, it may worsen. Patients should wear loose cotton clothing, wear fewer bras, and maintain a dry and ventilated radiation therapy area;
3、From the perspective of patients, it is necessary to increase nutrition and maintain a regular lifestyle;
4、Upper limb edema. After experiencing edema, on the one hand, inform medical staff and provide professional guidance. On the other hand, as an individual, reduce weight bearing and do not use hands with edema to lift heavy objects, as edema has arterial blood supply but no reflux, which may aggravate edema under weight bearing. In addition, the swollen upper limbs can be appropriately placed in a higher position;
5、In terms of diet for radiotherapy of breast cancer, patients will have adverse reactions of digestive system during radiotherapy, such as nausea, insensitive taste, and decreased appetite, which will affect the food intake, resulting in nutritional deficiency and decreased resistance, which is not conducive to the repair of normal tissues. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the diet reasonably, avoid a single diet, and maintain nutritional balance.
Avoid foods that are too cold, too hot, greasy, spicy, and other highly stimulating. Eating should not be too full or too hasty. It is advisable to eat slowly to fully chew the food, facilitate digestion and absorption, prevent rapid eating from causing abdominal pain and bloating, and also ensure that the body receives sufficient water.

How to nurse skin during radiotherapy for breast cancer

During the radiotherapy process, patients are likely to experience some side effects, mainly manifested as skin damage, such as skin erythema, pigmentation, peeling, and capillary dilation. But in fact, as long as you pay more attention to some details of life, these side effects can be alleviated or avoided.
In view of the fact that radiotherapy causes great damage to the skin, patients should keep the skin in the radiotherapy area clean, prevent infection and pay attention to the following precautions for breast cancer radiotherapy:
1、To keep the skin of the breasts and armpits dry, pay attention to ventilation, and prevent wet reactions (such as shedding, ulceration, and even the formation of ulcers);
2、Wear pure cotton underwear and ensure its loose and soft texture;
3、Do not apply any skincare products to the irradiated area of radiation therapy without medical advice;
4、It is best to wash the affected area with water at a suitable temperature. Do not wipe the skin with a damp towel, but gently pat it with a dry and soft towel. At the same time, use mild and neutral soap instead of soap;
5、Do not apply adhesive tape within the irradiation range, as the zinc oxide inside the adhesive tape is a heavy metal that can produce secondary radiation that exacerbates the skin radiation response;
6、If there is a dry reaction (such as redness or peeling of the skin), do not peel it off. You can gently apply a layer of medical radiation skin protection agent within the irradiation range to reduce the radiation reaction.
7、 In case of wet reaction, do not tear it off. Spray Baiduobang spray within the irradiation range to prevent bacterial infection, and report to the competent doctor in time; Severe cases require suspension of radiation therapy for 1-2 weeks.

If you can rest for 30 to 45 minutes after each radiotherapy, it can effectively alleviate the systemic reactions caused by radiotherapy. After radiation therapy, patients should adhere to hands-on functional exercise of the affected limb, or use a soft pillow to elevate the affected limb before bedtime to promote blood circulation, in order to avoid lymphatic reflux obstruction caused by radiation therapy, leading to limb swelling and muscle atrophy.
At the same time, patients should pay special attention to various details in their daily lives. If the following points can be done well, it will be very beneficial for their recovery:
1. Regular re examination, if the patient experiences irritating dry cough or chest pain, they should seek medical attention in a timely manner;
2. Married women must undergo contraception for 5 years after radiation therapy;
3. Take medication according to medical advice and pay attention to potential side effects such as nausea, vomiting, irregular menstruation, etc;
4. Do not administer fluids or measure blood pressure to the affected limb, and do not lift heavy objects.

Love medical viewpoint

Although radiation therapy may bring certain side effects, it is also a beneficial weapon to help patients fight cancer. Small doctors hope that patients can view chemotherapy correctly. MORE Health's love for medicine will always be with us. Patients who want to obtain independent diagnosis and treatment opinions from American experts through overseas remote consultations and optimize chemotherapy plans can go through the official websitehttps://www.aiyichuandi.com/fuwu/ychz Contact a professional medical advisor.

Side effects of radiotherapy for breast cancer

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