10 Myths and Facts about radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is a common treatment for cancer, but there are many misconceptions about it. People often have fears and misunderstandings about what radiation therapy involves and how it affects the body.

This article aims to clear up some of the most common myths and provide straightforward facts to help you better understand this important treatment. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, or just curious, we hope to make the information easy to understand and helpful.

In this article

Myth 1: Radiation therapy is always painful.

Fact: Most patients do not feel any pain during the actual radiation treatments. Some people might experience skin changes or fatigue, but the treatment itself is typically painless.

Myth 2: Radiation therapy makes you radioactive.

Fact: External beam radiation therapy does not make you radioactive. The radiation does not stay in your body after the treatment, making it safe for you to be around other people, including children.

Myth 3: Radiation therapy causes hair loss all over the body.

Fact: Hair loss due to radiation therapy occurs only in the area being treated. For example, if you are receiving radiation to your head, you may lose hair on your scalp, but radiation to other parts of the body will not cause scalp hair loss.

Myth 4: Radiation therapy is only for advanced cancer.

Fact: Radiation therapy can be used at various stages of cancer. It can be employed to shrink tumors before surgery, kill any remaining cancer cells post-surgery, or even as the primary treatment in some cases.

Myth 5: Radiation therapy is dangerous and leads to severe side effects.

Fact: While radiation therapy can have side effects, they vary from person to person, and many are manageable. Advancements in technology have made modern radiation therapy more precise, reducing the risk of side effects.

Myth 6: Radiation therapy is not effective.

Fact: Radiation therapy is a highly effective treatment for many types of cancer, either alone or in combination with other treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy. It has a track record of successfully reducing or eliminating tumors.

Myth 7: Radiation therapy treatments take a long time.

Fact: Individual radiation therapy sessions typically take only a few minutes. While the overall treatment period may span several weeks, each session is usually brief.

Myth 8: You cannot work or engage in normal activities during radiation therapy.

Fact: Many patients continue to work and engage in their usual activities while undergoing radiation therapy. It largely depends on how one feels and any side effects experienced.

Myth 9: Radiation therapy is a last resort.

Fact: Radiation therapy is often used as a frontline treatment for various cancers. It can be one of the first options considered depending on the type and stage of the cancer.

Myth 10: Radiation therapy always causes damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Fact: Modern radiation therapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and proton therapy, are designed to target cancer cells precisely while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue as much as possible.