Weight loss after head and neck radiotherapy

This page tells you about coping when radiotherapy to your head or neck makes you lose weight. There is information about

Why you may lose weight
Coping with weight loss
Where to get more information

Radiotherapy to your head and neck area can make you lose weight because you may have

A sore or dry mouth
A poor appetite
Taste changes due to treatment
Difficulty swallowing due to soreness or swelling in your throat

These effects are usually temporary and will gradually go back to normal when the treatment ends. There are things you can do to help keep your weight up though.

It's important to keep up a healthy diet but don't worry too much if you can't eat a lot during the treatment period. Your doctor, specialist nurse or dietician can prescribe nutritional supplements, such as high calorie drinks, to keep up your calories until your mouth feels better. Remember to drink plenty of other fluids too.

Ask the radiotherapy staff or the hospital dietician what you should eat and drink to stay as healthy as possible. Try not to drink alcohol (especially spirits) or smoke, because this can make your mouth and throat very sore.

If you are having problems eating or drinking, talk to your radiographers or the nursing staff. They may refer you to a dietician for advice.

If your throat is very sore, and eating and drinking is painful, you may need to have

Strong painkillers
Liquid feed through a drip into a vein or tube down your nose to your stomach

Very rarely, your radiotherapy doctor (clinical oncologist) may stop your treatment for a while to allow you to recover.

There is information about ways to maintain your weight in the section about coping physically with cancer. And there are books and booklets about diet for cancer patients in our head and neck cancer section, some of which are free.

If you want to find people to share experiences with online, you could use CancerChat, our online forum. Or go through My Wavelength. This is a free service that aims to put people with similar medical conditions in touch with each other.