What is Radiation Therapy?

Radiation Therapy Can Be Used Alone or with Other Treatments for Colon Cancer

Radiation Therapy 101

Radiation therapy can be used alone or along with other treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy, to treat colon cancer.

Radiation therapy uses high energy radioactivity to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is delivered much in the same way that a person receives an x-ray (another form of radiation), except the beams of radioactivity are more concentrated and more targeted to the area affected by cancer. Radiation therapy most often is used in combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy or surgery, to enhance the effectiveness of those treatments.

How Does Radiation Therapy Work?

Radiation therapy damages cancer cells in a way that causes them to “self destruct.” Because radiation therapy is focused on the cancer itself, the side effects are usually more localized than what you might experience with chemotherapy.

For example, if you are receiving radiation therapy to your colon, this won’t cause the “systemic” side effects such as hair loss, mouth sores, and immune system suppression. If you are receiving chemotherapy along with radiation therapy, you may have systemic effects, but radiation therapy alone usually doesn’t cause these problems.

How is Radiation Therapy Given?

Typically, radiation therapy is given five days per week, for several weeks in a row. In some cases, it may even be given twice a day. The first session or two will last a little longer, as the radiation therapy team plans your treatment.

After the initial planning appointments, each radiation therapy session will only last a short time, but you probably will receive a radiation treatment daily for at least six weeks. The good news is that radiation therapy facilities typically run efficiently, so that you can be in and out within 30-60 minutes, including parking your car.

What are the Side Effects of Radiation Therapy?

The side effects of radiation therapy will depend on what area is being treated. With radiation to the colon, the most common side effect is diarrhea. If the therapy also involves your rectum, you may have skin tenderness and pain in the area around your anus.

How Do I Manage Radiation Therapy Side Effects?

The two most important things you can do to manage side effects of radiation therapy are to:

1. Take all of your medications as prescribed, because it’s easier to prevent side effects than to treat them once they occur.
2. Keep the lines of communication open with your medical team. What works to manage side effects for one person may not work for you. Talk to your doctor or nurse about options to help you get through treatment with minimum side effects.

Do I Need to Follow a Special Diet During Radiation Therapy?

You can ask your doctor, nurse, or dietitian about special diet guidelines for during radiation therapy, but some general diet guidelines include:

• Always use safe food handling practices in your home.
• Avoid alcohol unless your medical team says it is OK to drink.
• Avoid over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements, herbs, vitamins, or minerals unless your doctor, nurse, or dietitian has given you the OK to use them.

If you have diarrhea, you may need to avoid:

• Raw vegetables
• Skins and peels of fruit (fruit flesh is OK)
• Dairy products
• Very high fiber food such as wheat bran cereals and breads
• Beans, peas, and lentils
• Nuts and seeds
• Cakes, pies, cookies, and other sweets
• High fat and fried food such as fried chicken, sausage, and other fatty meats

If you have diarrhea, it may be helpful to eat more of the following:

• Bananas
• Applesauce
• Well-cooked, white sticky rice
• Plain, white pasta noodles
• White toast
• Well-cooked oatmeal
• Non-acidic juices, such as apricot nectar, peach nectar, or pear nectar
• Yogurt (with live and active cultures)
• Plenty of water to replace lost fluids

Sources

_{American Cancer Society. Making Treatment Decisions. Accessed: January 21, 2009.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_8_Making_Treatment_Decisions_Colon_and_Rectum_Cancer.asp}

_{American Cancer Society. Radiation Therapy Effects. Accessed: January 21, 2009.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MBC/MBC_2x_RadiationEffects.asp}

_{American Dietetic Association, Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. The Clinical Guide to Oncology Nutrition, 2nd Edition, 2008. Eds. Elliott L, Molseed LL, McCallum PD, Grant B.}

_{Ito T, Tanabe K, Yamada H, Hatta H, Nishimoto S. Radiation- and photo-induced activation of 5-fluorouracil prodrugs as a strategy for the selective treatment of solid tumors. Molecules 2008 13:2370-84.}

_{National Cancer Institute. Radiation Therapy and You: Support for People with Cancer. Accessed: January 21, 2009.
http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/radiation-therapy-and-you/}

_{National Cancer Institute. Radiation Therapy for Cancer: Questions and Answers. Accessed: January 21, 2009.
http://www.cancer.gov/CANCERTOPICS/FACTSHEET/THERAPY/RADIATION}

_{Wilkinson N, Scott-Conner CE.Surgical therapy for colorectal adenocarcinoma. Gastroenterol Clin North Am 2008 37:253-67, ix.}