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irradiated areas What is this ?

 
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ralph
New User


Joined: 29 Mar 2005
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2005 8:16 pm    Post subject: irradiated areas Reply with quote
What happens to irradiated areas on the skin? Does it leave a burn? If so, how long does the surface damage last and must it be covered?
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freeio
Senior User


Joined: 20 Dec 2004
Posts: 116
Location: Guntersville, Alabama
PostPosted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 9:52 am    Post subject: my experience was this Reply with quote
Unfortunately, radiation treatment can vary widely enough to make a definitive answer difficult. In my case, the radiation was high energy photons (i.e. x-rays), and what happens varies with the individual.

First - I didn't feel a thing. The machine (a Varian Cliniac 2100C) was loud, but the radiation was painless.

Second - on me it left no marks, although the literature stated that I might develop a brown tint in the irradiated area. I was told that if it changed color, that it might always stay that way. So I got off lucky.

Third - the area is permanently changed. No hair gorws there any more, nor as I understand it, ever will again. But then again, since the area irradiated was my stomach area, front, sides, and back, it doesn't show so anyone would notice.

Fourth - yes I must keep it covered, because the area is very sensitive to sunlight.

May your treatments go as well as mine did.

Marty
_________________
-------------------------------------------------
whipple procedure, Oct. 21, 2004
28 days of radiation
56 days of Chemo using Xeloda
diagnosed as progressive recurrent pancreatic adenocarcinoma (Stage IV) Jun. 20, 2006
was treated with gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, and tarceva, which all failed.
Cancer blog: http://diehlmartin.com/cancer.html
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ralph
New User


Joined: 29 Mar 2005
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 6:31 am    Post subject: Re: irradiated areas Reply with quote
Do the burns ever get so severe that skin grafts are necessary?
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leo
Site Admin


Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 1574
PostPosted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:47 pm    Post subject: radiation skin damage Reply with quote
Ralph,

Thanks for posting. Radiation therapy can cause a variety of skin changes, that range from mild to severe. It not only depends on the dose of radiation received, but also on the individual. Radiation changes are usually not reversible, and there are cases where some sort of surgery might be involved. The problem is that not only the skin is damaged, but also the tissues beneath it are also affected, so skin grafts might not be as effective as if normal tissues were there.

best regards,
Leo
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Leonardo F - Webmaster Cancer Forums
Disclaimer: this information is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice.
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