Lung cancer: Understanding side effects of radiotherapy
Radiotherapy for lung cancer can cause side effects. These can happen during treatment, soon after, or much later after treatment has finished. Early (sometimes called acute) side effects happen during and soon after radiotherapy. Everyone is different so it is not possible to say exactly when side effects will start, end, or how severe they will be. The best advice is to talk to your team if you are concerned about anything.
You might have side effects or symptoms not listed here, because everyone is different. They may also be caused by a different part of your cancer treatment. Research and support for side effects and late effects of radiotherapy is growing. Ask your treatment or clinical team if you need more support or have any side effects at all.
Joining a support group can be a positive way to share your experiences, feel less alone, and come to terms with the physical and emotional impact of treatment.
This page looks at early side effects.
How likely am I to get early side effects?
Before treatment you will discuss and sign a consent form with your clinical oncologist or therapeutic radiographer. They will tell you what to expect, and you can ask questions and discuss any concerns you have about treatment effects. It’s important to know what you are consenting to and can help to take someone with you.
You can read different radiotherapy consent forms (HERE) based on the specific area being treated. These consent forms are packed with useful information about early and late side effects.
When you consent to treatment, you are saying you understand that you have a chance of getting early and late side effects. Your team will use words like Expected, Common, Less Common and Rare.
This table shows what these words mean.
| Wording on the consent form | % chance of side or late effect | How many patients will get this? |
|---|---|---|
| Expected | 50 to 100% | Between half and all patients |
| Common | 10 to 50% | Up to half of all patients |
| Less common | Less than 10% | Fewer than one in ten patients |
| Rare | Less than 1% | Fewer than one in 100 patients |
Early side effects (during or soon after treatment)
- Feeling very tired or fatigued: You might feel very tired during and after your treatment. It’s important to get plenty of rest but sometimes you will still feel really tired, even with lots of sleep. Some tiredness can be caused by having cancerand having cancer treatment, and some can be caused by travelling to and from hospital every day for treatment.
- Swallowing issues: If your treatment site is close to your food and wind pipe you might feel like you have heartburn, making swallowing hard. Soft foods and avoiding hot or spicy foods can help. Medications can also help and can be given by your doctor or specialist team. In rare cases it might be necessary to insert a feeding tube if swallowing becomes a big problem.
- Skin reactions: You might notice a change in colour, swelling, itching, or changes in the texture of your skin where you’re treated. For people with lighter skin tones these changes can be pink, red or darker than the surrounding area. People with brown and black skin tones might have colour changes such as maroon, purple, yellow or grey pigment changes. Or the skin can look darker than the surrounding area. These changes usually improve after treatment, but this can take 4 to 6 weeks in some cases.
- Hair loss: you might lose hair in the area where you are treated. Often, this grows back over time.
- Breathing: You may experience a shortness of breath and a cough which is due to temporary inflammation of the lungs.
- Feeling sick: This is common but usually mild. It is less common to be sick but this can happen.
Rare Side effects
- Blood in mucous: This is a rare side effect but you might notice blood when you cough.
- Hospitalisation: It can sometimes be necessary if you are struggling to be admitted to hospital to help manage your symptoms. This is rare.
How to feel better during or soon after treatment
Here are some ideas you can try to make you feel better.
- For swallowing issues: Try soft foods that are high in protein and energy. Avoid foods that are spicy or hot (temperature) and take advice from your treatment team. Some people find ice cream soothing and foods that are warm (temperature) can help. It can also help to eat smaller meals more often. Ask for an appointment with a dietician if you need more support with eating.
- Skin reactions: Your treatment team can suggest creams to soothe your skin. Sometimes, extra care is needed if the skin breaks down in the treatment area. Wear loose clothing around the treatment area and keep it out of the sun.
- Drinking fluids: Drinking plenty of fluids such as water, juice and squash can help with fatigue and tiredness caused by your treatment. It can also help flush out toxins in your body caused by treatment. You can try diluted juice if you don’t like water.
- Keeping active: Gentle movement can help you feel better, both during and after treatment. Your treatment team can tell you what is safe for you to do.
- Alcohol use: Please follow the NHS guidelines on safe drinking levels and any instructions you get from your team on what is right for you, your diagnosis and your treatment. If in doubt, please ask your team.
- Sexual changes: Talk to your team if you are experiencing issues with sex and cancer and they can offer advice.
- Stop smoking: If you are looking to stop or reduce smoking, there are services available to help you.
- Rest and care: Take breaks, get plenty of sleep, and be kind to yourself during treatment.
- Seek support: Speak to other patients and find support groups who understand what you are going through, they can help support you.
