Radiation therapy can cause side effects during and just after treatment. These are called short-term or acute effects. Most side effects are temporary and go away in time, usually within a few weeks of treatment finishing. But sometimes radiation therapy can cause long-term or late effects months or years down the track.
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Short-term side effects
Side effects often build up slowly during treatment and it could be a few days or weeks before you notice anything. Often the side effects are worse at the end of treatment, or even 1–2 weeks afterwards, because it takes time for the healthy cells to recover from radiation.
Long-term or late effects
Radiation therapy can also cause side effects that last for months or years after treatment. These long-term effects are usually mild, they may come and go, and they may not have any major impact on your daily life. Sometimes they may be more serious. Late side effects may go away or improve on their own, but some may be permanent and need to be treated or managed.
| Other cancers | Very rarely, years after successful treatment, patients can develop a new, unrelated cancer in or near the area treated. The risk of this late effect is very low, but other factors, such as continuing to smoke or very rare genetic conditions, can increase this risk. |
| Effects on the heart | Radiation therapy to the chest, particularly when combined with chemotherapy, may lead to an increased risk of heart problems. Newer techniques have reduced the risk, however, talk to your doctor about your heart health. If you develop heart problems later in life, make sure you let your doctors know you had radiation therapy. |
I read a lot about all the negative side effects you might get from radiation therapy, but I’ve had no long-term side effects.
Derek
Key resource
Download a PDF booklet on this topic.
More resources
A/Prof Susan Carroll, Senior Staff Specialist, Radiation Oncology, Royal North Shore Hospital, and The University of Sydney, NSW; Katie Benton, Advanced Dietitian Oncology, Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, QLD; Adrian Gibbs, Director of Physics, Radiation Oncology, Princess Alexandra Hospital Raymond Terrace, QLD; Sinead Hanley, Consumer; Dr Annie Ho, Radiation Oncologist, GenesisCare, Macquarie University Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital, NSW; Angelo Katsilis, Clinical Manager Radiation Therapist, Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Candice Kwet-On, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Victoria; Jasmine Nguyen, Radiation Therapist, GenesisCare Hollywood, WA; Graham Rees, Consumer; Nicole Shackleton, Radiation Therapist, GenesisCare Murdoch, WA; Dr Tom Shakespeare, Director, Cancer Services, Mid North Coast Local Health District, NSW; Gabrielle Vigar, Nurse Lead, Cancer Program, Royal Adelaide Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA.
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