What to Expect After Radiation Treatment for Breast Cancer

If you get EBRT, you don’t need to worry about being radioactive after your treatments. It’s perfectly safe to be around other people. However, if you have brachytherapy, you may be told to avoid certain people who could be sensitive to radiation, such as small children.

EBRT and brachytherapy usually don’t cause serious side effects. They include side effects like these, lasting no longer than about 6 weeks.

• Skin irritation

• Redness

• Itching

• Loss of appetite

• Fatigue

Here’s a list of longer-term, but minor, side effects.

• Darkening of your skin in the area treated

• Increased pore size in the area treated

• Red areas, called telangiectasias, caused by dilated blood vessels

Ask your doctor, nurse, or radiologist for tips on how to ease these side effects.