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Does the radiation stop working after after last treatment?
Does anyone if radiation therapy is just effective after 90 days as it was before?
After the radiation therapy was done, like 8 later, (on a CT scan) other Drs commented on the nodules in the lung. Not knowing he had radiation therapy already. Seeing the nodules like that good or bad?
Ty
Terrified 2
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@scared2- Good morning. This is a great question. It all depends on what type of radiation it was and for how long.
Do you know what type he had and how many days or weeks?
Merry
Merry
Not sure on the type it was. 6weeks-- 10-12in a session. 5days a week.
Is all I know.
The reason they wait six weeks is to allow the inflammation from the radiation to subside. So sorry, no, it stops working before 6 weeks. It's cleared usually in a few days. The side effects of the damage continue on though. My radiation ended in 2/2010 and the tumor continued to shrink and consolidate for about 18 months.
In a way the radiation does keep working.
Radiation damages the DNA in the cancer cells. It does this immediately during the treatment and does not keep doing this. However the cells with the damaged DNA will try to grow and divide at some point in time and the damaged DNA will cause them to die. Some cells grow and divide at a higher rate than others so it depends on the type of cells involved. Once the cell dies it must be removed from the body by natural processes in order for the tumor to shrink. This is a variable too. Some tumors, like prostate tumors, shrink very slowly, like over months.
So if you use tumor shrinkage as a measure of the radiation working, yes, it does happen after the treatment is done.
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1 ReactionThanks! I wondered why mine could continue to shrink like that. I never thought to ask my doctor though.
I'm not sure where all my posts are at, so I'll answer here.
The results for the pt were confusing. The pathologist was commenting on what appeared to be a lung infection. Then he'd switch to lung cancer and at the made a statement,"not to exclude any metasized disease" . His appt with the oncologist went well cleared the air. She said she was very happy with the results, and there is no cancer. I asked 3 times just to make sure I heard right. He has to come back in 3 months for a CT scan. There's a small scar tissue that got diminished. They want to make sure that's what it is. Verdict was all clear!!! No module was discovered in his throat. Or in his lungs, so where did the nodules go that the other Drs saw,? His cardiologist saw the modules on jan31.
@scared2, Radiologist reports can be concerning. They need to cover all possibilities. I'm so glad we have doctors to help interpret them for us. "No cancer" is fabulous! I'm happy for you and him. I'm glad that he'll have another scan in 3 months, just to make sure the nodules stay away. It's not unusual at all for people to have nodules and not even know it. They are usually inflammation, infection, or fungal. Our lungs are delicate and can be impacted by many factors other than cancer. Hoping you both continue to receive good news!