Esophageal cancer patients generally experience the following side effects after radiation therapy treatment.
1. Throat discomfort. The more obvious after radiotherapy is that patients feel discomfort in the throat and edema in the esophageal mucosa, when they cannot eat and the obstruction is more pronounced, so many patients have nutrition tubes placed in the field in advance of treatment, or nutrition through intravenous infusion.
2. Difficulty swallowing. During treatment, patients may feel a burning sensation in the larynx and have difficulty or even pain in swallowing, a symptom that will disappear as the treatment gets longer and the tumor shrinks.
3. Radiation pneumonia. As the esophagus is more closely connected to the lungs and stomach, often the treatment period will also have an impact on these organs, and many patients will experience radiation pneumonia, resulting in a weaker body.
4. It affects liver and kidney function. Patients should also have regular liver and kidney function tests during treatment, and any abnormalities found need to be controlled in a timely manner. It should be clear that not all esophageal cancers require radiotherapy, and patients should choose a scientific treatment under the advice of their doctors.