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December 20, 2025
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What should you expect from radiation treatments for breast cancer?

Radiation therapy uses beams of energy to destroy cancer cells and reduce the chance of recurrence. It's most commonly given after a lumpectomy to target any remaining cancer cells, but may also be used after a mastectomy if the tumor was large or cancer Show Full Answer

What should you expect from radiation treatments for breast cancer?

Radiation therapy uses beams of energy to destroy cancer cells and reduce the chance of recurrence. It's most commonly given after a lumpectomy to target any remaining cancer cells, but may also be used after a mastectomy if the tumor was large or cancer spread to lymph nodes.

Types of radiation include:
- External beam radiation: A machine delivers radiation to the breast and possibly lymph nodes
- Brachytherapy (internal radiation): Small radioactive pellets are placed directly in the treatment area

Treatment typically involves daily sessions for several weeks. Each session takes about 30-45 minutes, though the actual radiation delivery only lasts a few minutes. You'll lie still on a table in the same position each time. Common side effects to expect:
- Fatigue that builds gradually and peaks near the end of treatment
- Skin changes like redness, irritation, or sensitivity in the treated area
- Swelling in the breast, armpit, or arm
- Changes to breast shape or texture

Tips for managing treatment:
- Keep the treated area out of the sun and use SPF 30+ sunscreen
- Avoid hot baths, heating pads, or ice directly on the skin
- Use fragrance-free moisturizers recommended by your care team
- Rest when needed and listen to your body
- Stay hydrated and maintain good nutrition

Most side effects are temporary and improve after treatment ends, though some people may experience fatigue for months afterward. Your radiation oncologist will guide you through what to expect based on your specific treatment plan.

December 20, 2025
A MyBCTeam Member

Rose, during chemo treatment, I kept Gin-Gin candies in my pocket all the time! Ginger is a natural tummy soother, and the flavor offset the weird tastes I would get. I went with the hard candy- as the soft ones wanted to stick to my older dental work. A friend who had a grandson with childhood cancer- said her grandson swore by them, so she put a package of each kind in a goody bag for me. Her grandson recovered, and so far- so good! Hugs!

December 24, 2025
A MyBCTeam Member

Have stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, am in remission the cancer is in my bones , I take kisquali, 600mg daily for 3 weeks off 1 week, the nausea is everyday, Zofran doesn't help, anyone have any suggestions?

December 24, 2025
A MyBCTeam Member

You definitely want to use lotion on the areas of your skin that get radiation. Your skin may change color, get burned, blister and peal, get itchy, etc. The longer you have radiation the more likely your skin will have some damage. If you end up having radiation to your neck it can also burn the inside of your throat and give you a sore throat. This happened to me after about 2 1/2 weeks of a 4 week radiation schedule. The sore throat took about 5-6 weeks to go away once I was done with radiation.

I've had radiation 5 times now. I find that about 3 weeks after starting radiation I get more tired than usual and need to take naps. The 2 times I had radiation for only 1 week the tiredness lasted for about a month. The 2 times I had radiation for 3 weeks the tiredness lasted for about 2 months. The most recent time I had radiation was for 4 weeks and the last week they did what's called a boost which gives you an extra big dose of radiation. I was so tired I needed a nap almost every day, sometimes even 2 naps a day, for the first month or so. After that for another month or so I needed a few naps a week. I'm still more tired than usual now and it's been 3 months since I finished radiation. For the past month I've been napping once a week, but there are days where I could really use a nap but I force myself to stay awake because when I nap during the day I have a harder time sleeping at night.

Every time I had radiation I would get nausea. For me it doesn't matter if it's 1 week or 4 weeks of radiation, the nausea is always the same. The nausea starts after a week or two of radiation and I need to take nausea pills 2 or 3 times a day. If I forget to take a nausea pill and go more than 16 hours without one then I am likely to start vomiting. I take Zofran aka Ondansetron for the nausea. Usually for the first month I take a nausea pill every 8 hours for a total of 3 pills a day. During the second month I'm able to cut back and take a nausea pill every 12 hours for a total of 2 pills a day. Between 2 and 2 1/2 months after the radiation I took 1 nausea pill a day. After 2 1/2 months I was finally able to stop taking the nausea medicine. I also found that if I ate 4 or 5 smaller meals a day it was easier on my stomach and the nausea.

Wishing you good luck with your radiation ❤️

December 21, 2025
A MyBCTeam Member

You're usually in and out pretty quickly. Your skin can change somewhat so get a great lotion and start using it now. Use it daily. It's usually not bad at all, especially compared to chemo. Wishing you the very best. Stay in touch so we know how you're doing. Much love and endless hugs.

December 20, 2025

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