What are the side effects of radiotherapy for lung cancer? Radiotherapy for lung cancer produces 3 major side effects

Oncologists say that the occurrence of lung cancer poses a great threat to the patient's health, and it is necessary to cooperate with the doctor's treatment in a timely manner. There are many methods for treating lung cancer clinically, the most common of which are radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery and traditional Chinese medicine treatment. Among them, radiotherapy has certain side effects on the body, so patients must be prepared for countermeasures when using radiotherapy.

What are the side effects of radiotherapy for lung cancer?

1. Radiation-induced lung injury

Acute radiation pneumonitis is a common and dangerous complication of radiotherapy for lung cancer. Pathological examination shows thickening of blood vessel walls, swelling of endothelial cells, formation of fibrous emboli, swelling of collagen fibers and edema of alveolar septa. This change occurs in every lung cancer patient who receives radiotherapy, but most of them have no clinical symptoms. If there is an infection at this time, symptoms will occur, which is called acute radiation pneumonitis. Its symptoms and signs are similar to those of general pneumonia, such as cough, sputum, fever, chest pain and shortness of breath. Ralepsy can be found during physical examination, but the number and severity of symptoms vary.

What are the side effects of radiotherapy for lung cancer? 2. Radiation esophageal damage

Acute radiation esophagitis refers to the damage of esophageal mucosa caused by radiation, the decline of esophageal barrier protection function and inflammation. The clinical manifestation is swallowing pain, which usually begins to appear about 2-3 weeks after the start of radiotherapy, reaches a peak about 4-5 weeks, and then the symptoms may be alleviated and last until about 2 weeks after the end of radiotherapy.

3. Radiation myelopathy

It is a serious complication in the late stage of radiotherapy. The main measure to prevent it is to ensure that the spinal cord does not receive more than its tolerance dose when designing and implementing the radiotherapy plan.

What are the side effects of radiotherapy for lung cancer? The above is a detailed introduction. Oncologists say that in order to reduce the side effects of radiotherapy on the body, combining it with some Chinese medicine conditioning during treatment will be helpful in alleviating the condition. If you want to know more about lung cancer treatment methods, you can consult an expert.