Be sure to ask your treatment team what precautions you need to take. It is especially important to avoid close contact with children and women who are pregnant. However, you may have to limit contact with other people for up to one week after treatment. The radiation travels a very short distance, so the effects are mostly to the tumor. Radioembolizationĭuring radioembolization, the radiation source stays near the tumor. If your implant is permanent, it will slowly stop giving off radiation after a while. If your implant is temporary, your body will no longer give off radiation once it is removed. Pregnant women and children might not be allowed to visit you. You also may be asked to stay a certain distance away from them.
Still, you may be asked to stay in the hospital and might have to limit visitors during treatment. The radiation usually doesn’t travel much farther than the area being treated, so the chances that others could be exposed to radiation is small. Depending on the type of implant used, your body may give off a small amount of radiation for a short time. Internal radiation therapy uses a sealed source of radiation that is implanted (put inside your body) where the cancer is located. Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy) Because there’s no radiation source inside your body, you are not radioactive at any time during or after treatment. Safety for specific types of radiation External beam radiation therapyĮxternal radiation therapy is given from an outside source, involves a beam of radiation aimed at a part of the body, and affects cells in your body only for a moment. It's important to know that not all radiation treatments work the same way or have the same safety precautions. And, it’s important to know that safety concerns of radiation therapy are very different than safety concerns of other treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. This is because they must meet certain regulations that help to limit their exposure to radiation when caring for patients who need treatment and imaging tests. You may notice special clothing and protective equipment being used by the members of your cancer care team when they are in the area where radiation therapy is given. Your treatment plan will be reviewed often during the time of your therapy, and computers are used to monitor you and the amount of radiation that’s being given.Įvery time you have a radiation treatment, your cancer care team will follow all safety rules and will be sure that you receive your treatment safely by measuring and monitoring your dose. Treatment will focus on giving radiation to the cancer while limiting exposure of healthy tissue. Keep in mind that it's impossible to avoid all radiation, and you can learn more in Sun and Other Types of Radiation.įor people who need radiation therapy to treat their cancer, special precautions are used to protect other parts of their body from exposure to radiation.īefore you begin receiving radiation therapy, the cancer care team works carefully to develop an effective treatment plan that is also safe. ALARA stands for “as low as reasonably achievable.” This means that people should limit being exposed to radiation that has no benefit to them.
General radiation safetyĪ common abbreviation used by doctors and radiation experts is ALARA. You should follow their instructions exactly. If needed, your cancer care team will give you exact instructions so you know what steps to take, and how long any precautions need to be followed. Any precautions you might need to take depend on what treatment is used and type and dose of radiation that's given. It's important to remember that every patient is different, and your safety instructions may be different from other patients or people you know who have received radiation therapy to treat cancer. Treatment centers must follow certain rules and regulations to keep patients, workers, and visitors safe. Many advancements have been made that have led to safety regulations and checkpoints during treatment. While radiation therapy involves exposure to hazardous radioactive particles, it has been used to safely treat cancer for more than 100 years. Some patients worry about the safety of radiation therapy.
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