Radiotherapy is one of the main treatments for esophageal cancer, which can be applied to different stages of esophageal cancer and has good therapeutic effects. The effect of radiotherapy on esophageal cancer is remarkable, especially for patients with early stage esophageal cancer who are eligible for surgery. For patients who do not have the conditions for surgery, radiation therapy can shrink the tumor and regain the conditions for surgery; for patients with middle and late stage esophageal cancer, radiation therapy can relieve the symptoms and prolong the survival period, and some patients have even achieved unexpected results; for patients with esophageal cancer who have distant metastases, palliative radiation therapy can also be used to relieve pain and improve the quality of life.
Adverse effects of radiotherapy
Common side effects of radiotherapy include radiation esophagitis (pain when eating), radiation pneumonia or bronchitis (cough) and skin damage in the area of irradiation (dry and dark skin, even ulceration and oozing). These adverse reactions will slowly decrease and disappear after the end of radiotherapy.
During radiotherapy, patients can reduce skin reactions by.
1.Do not rub or scratch the radiotherapy site, at most use mild soap to clean and rinse with warm water.
2.Wear loose, comfortable clothes.
3.Do not touch the skin with hot or cold objects.
4, Try not to apply all kinds of ointment, talcum powder, moisturizer, etc., which may affect the effect of radiotherapy.
5.Don’t expose the skin of radiotherapy site to sunlight during and within one year after the end of radiotherapy.
6.Generally speaking, radiotherapy will not affect the white blood cell count or platelet count, but if any patient is found to have abnormality during the blood test, let the treatment be suspended for a week and continue the radiotherapy after it is restored to normal.
Many patients will also have no appetite during treatment, and even then, it is important to consume as much protein, vitamins, and other types of nutrients that the body needs. Even so, it is important to consume as much protein, vitamins and other nutrients as possible to better cope with the adverse effects of treatment and to better fight against the cancer.
Before radiotherapy, be prepared for everything
Every cancer patient will have a series of bad psychological states such as nervousness, anxiety and despair, and in the face of radiotherapy, other worries will arise, such as worrying about the effect of treatment and the adverse reactions that will be produced by radiotherapy. Therefore, the first preparatory work that patients should do is to lift their mental burden, build up confidence in overcoming cancer, and communicate more with doctors when conditions permit, so as to ensure close cooperation with doctors and successful completion of radiotherapy plan.
Every patient should have a series of physical index examinations before radiotherapy. If there is malnutrition, anemia or poor physical condition, it should be dealt with in time so as not to affect the effect of radiotherapy, and one should not rush to radiotherapy regardless, which will only get half the result with twice the effort. For example, anemic patients with increased lack of oxygen cells are not sensitive to radiotherapy, so the anemia must be corrected before radiotherapy. If there are signs before perforation, such as pain in the chest and back, increased white blood cells in routine blood tests, and spike Xin shadow on the barium meal film, then anti-infection is needed. In short, further treatment should be carried out only when the body indicators permit.
Do self-protection in radiotherapy
Patients should drink more water during radiotherapy, and review the routine blood test every week to observe the changes of white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells, so as to detect the problems and treat them in time.
In radiotherapy, every 10 times, an X-ray barium meal imaging should be done to observe the treatment effect and to know whether there are deep ulcers and perforations, etc., and to promptly treat the symptoms and adjust the radiotherapy plan.
Patients should also go to public places less frequently during radiotherapy. Patients’ immunity is poor during radiotherapy, and their white blood cells tend to decrease, making them prone to complications of infection. In addition to routine visits to the hospital, patients should mainly recuperate at home and do some exercise to the best of their ability in a small way.
Doctors will draw marker lines on the skin of radiotherapy patients’ body, which is the marker for accurate positioning during radiotherapy. Patients should pay attention to protect the markings. They should not change or fill in the markings at will, and should inform the physician at any time if the markings become faded or fall off.
Some patients with advanced esophageal cancer will have ulcers and perforations during radiotherapy. When they occur, they are often accompanied by anterior and posterior chest pain, low fever and elevated total white blood cell count, which can have serious consequences if not treated timely. Patients and family members should pay close attention to these conditions during radiotherapy and communicate with doctors in time.
During treatment, patients should enhance nutrition, avoid overexertion, and give nutritional supplements when necessary to improve the body’s repair ability and resistance to disease.
After radiotherapy, follow up well
The end of radiotherapy does not mean the end of treatment, but the first step in the “long march” against cancer.
First of all, a series of examinations should be conducted at the end of radiotherapy, including barium esophagogram, ultrasound, biochemical examination, etc., to observe whether the lesion is under control and to understand whether the general condition of the patient is suitable for discharge. If necessary, local dose increases, supportive symptomatic management or other therapeutic adjustments may be considered. The examination results at the end are also the reference basis for comparison of future follow-up results.
Second, there is still a possibility of radiation esophagitis, radiation pneumonia or esophageal perforation within 3 months after the end of radiotherapy. Those with symptoms such as painful eating, cough, choking and chest and back pain can be treated with simple symptomatic treatment. Severe cases need to be treated with antibiotics and appropriate hormones. Those who do not improve for a long time should go to the hospital for appropriate examination.
In addition, the end of radiotherapy, for some patients the part of treatment in the hospital is over for the time being, and the local condition is controlled. However, patients must be reviewed regularly, generally every 3 months for 2 years after treatment, every 6 months for 5 years, and once a year after 5 years. The review includes X-ray barium esophagogram/gastroscopy, chest CT, abdominal ultrasound/CT, electrocardiogram, blood count and so on. If there are any abnormal symptoms, the doctor will conduct ECT and MRI according to the condition and other appropriate tests.