Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy uses radiation to treat cancer. The side effects you have depend on the area that you’re having treatment for.
Doctors can give radiotherapy to a very precise area containing the lymphoma. They also try to plan your treatment so that it causes as few side effects as possible.
Healthy cells in the treatment area are also affected and this causes side effects. While radiation kills the cancer cells, the normal cells are usually able to recover.
Find out about having radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma
Side effects tend to start a week or so after the radiotherapy begins. They can gradually get worse during the treatment but they usually begin to improve 1 or 2 weeks after your treatment ends.
Most side effects go away after your treatment finishes, but some side effects might continue or start months or years later. These are called long term side effects. Most people don’t have serious long term side effects from radiotherapy.
Everyone is different and the side effects vary from person to person. You may not have all the side effects mentioned. Some people only have mild side effects but for other people they can be more severe.
Most side effects are short term and gradually go away in the weeks or months after treatment. Short term side effects include:
skin changes
tiredness and weakness
loss of body hair in the treatment area
loose or watery poo (diarrhoea)
feeling or being sick
dry mouth and changes in taste
Radiotherapy can cause changes to your skin in the area that is having treatment. Some people don’t have any problems at all, but others have very sore skin. This may start after your radiotherapy is completed.
If you have a skin reaction your skin might:
feel sore
turn red or darker than your normal skin tone
feel dry and itchy
look like sunburn, peel and blister
You may also get redness or darkening on the other side of your body to your treatment area. This is because the skin can also be affected in the area where the radiotherapy beam leaves the body. This is called the exit site.
Skin reactions usually settle down within 4 weeks of ending the treatment. But some changes can continue for longer. Your skin might always be darker or look permanently sunburnt in the treatment area. Or you might develop tiny blood vessels near the surface. For some people the skin will always be more sensitive to the sun than it was before treatment.
Tell the radiotherapy staff if you notice any skin changes. There are lots of ways to care for your skin when having radiotherapy. Your radiotherapy team may give you some creams to soothe the skin. Your skin will be more sensitive so it is important to protect it from the sun.
Find out more about caring for your skin
You might feel tired during your radiotherapy. It tends to get worse as you progress through your treatment. You might also feel weak and lack energy. Rest when you need to.
Tiredness can carry on for some weeks after the treatment has ended. But it usually improves gradually.
Various things can help you to reduce tiredness and cope with it, such as exercise. It is important to balance exercise with resting. Some people keep working during treatment. Whether you can or not depends on how you feel.
There are some things that can help with tiredness. Try some of the following:
drink plenty of water
eat a balanced diet
take short naps if you need to
do things you enjoy to relax
ask family and friends for help with physical tasks
Get more tips on coping with tiredness
Radiotherapy can make your hair fall out in the treatment area. You might also have some hair loss on the opposite side of your body to your treatment area, where the radiotherapy beams leave your body.
Radiotherapy won’t cause your hair to fall out in other parts of your body and it will usually grow back when you finish treatment.
Radiotherapy can cause inflammation of the lining of your bowel if you are having radiotherapy to your tummy (abdomen). This can cause diarrhoea. You may also have:
cramping pain
an increase in wind (flatulence)
feeling that you need to go to the toilet urgently
having to go to the toilet several times
some mucus or blood in your poo (stool)
Let your doctor, nurse or radiographer know if you have any of these side effects.
There are several things that can help you cope with diarrhoea, such as:
drinking plenty so you don’t become dehydrated
take anti diarrhoea medicine, which your healthcare team can give you
changing your diet, you can discuss this with your dietitian
apply soothing creams to your back passage
Diarrhoea should gradually get better a few weeks after your treatment has finished. But it can also be a long term side effect. It varies from person to person. Let your doctor or nurse know if it continues.
Get more tips on coping with diarrhoea
You might feel sick (nausea) or be sick (vomit) if you have radiotherapy to your abdomen.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you feel sick. They can give you or an injection to help. There are lots of different anti sickness drugs and you might need to try a few different ones to find one that works best for you.
Avoid eating or preparing food when you feel sick.
Avoid foods that are fried, fatty, or have a strong smell.
Drink plenty, taking small sips throughout the day to stop you from getting dehydrated.
Relaxation techniques help control sickness for some people.
Ginger can help, try it as crystallised stem ginger, ginger tea or ginger ale.
Fizzy drinks help some people when they’re feeling sick.
Ask your doctor about food supplements if you are worried you are losing weight.
Get more tips on coping with sickness
You might have a dry or a sore mouth if you have radiotherapy to your head and neck area. You may also notice that things taste differently. Or it might be painful to swallow because of mouth ulcers.
Talk to your healthcare team if you have this. It is usually temporary and goes away a few weeks or months after treatment.
The video below talks about some of the general radiotherapy side effects. The video lasts around 8 minutes.
Most side effects gradually go away in the weeks or months after treatment. But some side effects can continue or might start some months or years later. It’s important to remember that most people don’t have serious long term side effects from radiotherapy.
Doctors and researchers are developing and changing treatments to reduce the risk of long term side effects while giving the best chance of curing Hodgkin lymphoma.
Long term side effects can include:
heart problems
inflammation of the lungs
changes to the way your gland works
an increased risk of developing a second cancer
Radiotherapy to the chest can increase the risk of heart disease later in life. Doctors give radiotherapy to smaller areas and in lower doses to reduce any effects on the heart. And they can teach you a breathing technique to do during radiotherapy to help protect your heart.
It is important to be aware of this side effect, particularly if there is heart disease in your family.
You can help to reduce your risk of heart disease by:
having a healthy diet
exercising regularly
stopping smoking
Radiotherapy to the chest can cause a long term cough and sometimes breathlessness. This is called chronic radiation pneumonitis. Let your doctor or nurse know if you notice changes in your breathing any time after your radiotherapy.
If you have radiotherapy to the neck, some people can develop a condition of the thyroid gland called hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism means that the thyroid gland stops producing enough . You might need to take thyroid hormone tablets such as levothyroxine if this happens.
Radiotherapy to your or can affect your fertility and sex life.
It can be distressing to find out that the treatment you need can affect your ability to have children. It can seem unfair to have to cope with this as well as with your cancer. Sometimes radiographers can use a shield to protect your ovaries or testicles, the organs needed to have children. Or you might be able to store your eggs, embryos or sperm before treatment.
Find out more about fertility and sex life after radiotherapy to the pelvis or abdomen
Radiation can be harmful to an unborn child. It is important that you do not become pregnant during radiotherapy. Your doctor will discuss this with you.
Even for people who have not yet thought about having children, losing fertility can be very difficult to come to terms with. It can affect the way you feel about yourself. It can take time to come to terms with this change in your life. Talking to someone close can help.
You may want to talk to someone other than your partner, family or friends. Some people find it helpful to talk to a therapist or counsellor.
Find out more about counselling
You have an increased risk of developing another cancer later in life after radiotherapy treatment. This is rare and your doctor will talk to you about this risk.
Children treated with radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma also have a risk of developing another cancer later in life. Researchers and doctors are currently doing research trials to see which children need radiotherapy after chemotherapy and which children don't need it.
Women treated with radiotherapy to the chest have an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life. If this is your case, your doctor might arrange for you to have yearly breast screening from around 8 years after treatment. This could be an , a or both.
It is possible for men treated with radiotherapy to the chest to also get breast cancer, but it is much rarer.
Last reviewed: 24 Jun 2024
Next review due: 24 Jun 2027
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Get practical and emotional support to help you cope with a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma, and life during and after treatment.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes. Find out more about the tests, treatments and support available if you have Hodgkin lymphoma.
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