Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses carefully targeted, high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells. The treatment is localized, meaning it only affects the exact spot being treated—not your entire body. This makes radiation therapy especially effective for treating tumors while sparing as much healthy tissue as possible.

When a beam of radiation enters your body, it damages the DNA of every cell in its path—both healthy cells and cancer cells. That may sound intimidating, but here’s the difference: healthy cells can repair themselves, while cancer cells cannot.

Because cancer cells can’t recover, radiation prevents them from dividing and essentially destroys their function. Over time, your body naturally replaces the damaged cancer cells with healthy new cells.

The most common side effect is fatigue. Even though your body’s repair process happens automatically, it requires a lot of energy to heal healthy cells while eradicating the function of cancer cells. That’s why many patients feel unusually tired during radiation treatment—it’s simply your body working hard to heal.

Fatigue affects every patient differently, but understanding why it happens can make it easier to cope. Here are a few strategies:

· Give yourself grace—your body is working hard, and rest is part of healing.

· Make time for breaks or naps when possible.

· Pay attention to outside factors like medications, sleep quality, other treatments, and how much you take on day-to-day.

The most important thing is to be patient with yourself. Fatigue is one of the most common radiation therapy side effects, but it’s also a sign your body is actively repairing itself.

Hair loss with radiation therapy depends on the treatment area:

· With radiation only, hair loss happens only where the radiation beam enters your body. For example, if treatment is to the pelvis, you won’t lose the hair on your head.

· If radiation is aimed at the head, brain, or neck, hair thinning or loss may occur in that specific spot.

· With chemotherapy, hair loss can happen because the drugs affect the whole body, but not every chemotherapy medication causes this side effect.

It is natural to feel anxious about radiation therapy. Anxiety often comes from uncertainty—not knowing what will happen during treatment. Many patients worry about:

· Meeting their oncology doctors

· The difference between chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation

· Side effects such as skin changes or fatigue

· What actually happens in the treatment room

· Supporting their mental health during radiation therapy

The good news is that anxiety decreases when you have answers. That’s why I wrote Let’s Talk Radiation Therapy—to provide clear, compassionate explanations from my 16 years of experience treating patients in radiation oncology.

Radiation therapy can be emotionally challenging as well as physical. Many patients experience stress, disappointment, anxiousness, frustration, fear, nervousness, anger, overwhelm, etc., during treatment. Coping strategies include:

· Talking openly with your care team about concerns

· Practicing relaxation or mindfulness exercises

· Journaling or finding creative outlets for expression

· Seeking support from a counselor or cancer support group

Taking care of your mental health during cancer treatment is just as important as managing physical side effects.

It’s natural to feel nervous before stepping into the radiation treatment room. Stress often comes from not knowing what to expect—but knowledge and preparation can help. A few tips include:

· Practicing slow, deep breathing

· Using visualization—imagining a calming place or activity

· Audible Distraction—listening to music, an audiobook, or guided meditation

· Asking your radiation therapist to explain each step

In Let’s Talk Radiation Therapy, I outline 15+ specific techniques for reducing treatment room anxiety and supporting mental health, giving patients practical, easy-to-use tools for managing stress and improving mental health during radiation therapy.

The biggest difference is how the treatments target cancer:

· Radiation therapy is localized, focusing only on the exact tumor or treatment area.

· Chemotherapy is systemic, meaning it travels through your entire body to attack microscopic cancer cells that may have spread.

Sometimes doctors recommend combining both for the most effective cancer treatment.

Caregivers are a vital part of cancer treatment. Support goes beyond daily help—it also includes understanding what the patient is experiencing. Caregivers can:

· Listen with empathy and validate feelings

· Learn about the radiation therapy process together so both patient and caregiver feel informed

· Attend appointments to provide reassurance and help ask questions

· Encourage healthy habits like rest, hydration, and balanced nutrition

By understanding the treatment process and side effects, caregivers play a powerful role in reducing patient anxiety and supporting both physical and emotional health.