Radiation Therapy Side Effects---?

Just curious....when someone is receiving radiation therapy for several weeks...are there any significant side effects that are passed on to the people they are closest too on a daily basis? If you bathed a child or rocked a baby or small child to sleep....are there any ill effects passed from the cancer patient receiving the therapy to the small child?

No, the side effects all remain with the patient. You do not become radioactive while undergoing radiation therapy.

you don't pass anything on to anyone. i know what i'm talking about.

The normal side effects of Radiation theraphy by patients is given below.

At the time of giving radiation theraphy no technican will be near the spot and it will be given by machines automatically. Previously the radiologist used to wear masks and radiation proof jackets so that he is not affected by radiation.

From the patients who received radiation treatment the radiation effects will not be passed to small child. Only at the time of radiating it will affect other.

Now, the side effects of the theraphy -

Side effects

Radiotherapy is in itself painless. Many low-dose palliative treatments (for example, radiotherapy to bony metastases) cause minimal or no side effects. Treatment to higher doses causes varying side effects during treatment (acute side effects), in the months or years following treatment (long-term side effects), or after re-treatment (cumulative side effects). The nature, severity, and longevity of side effects depends on the organs that receive the radiation, the treatment itself (type of radiation, dose, fractionation, concurrent chemotherapy), and the patient.

Acute side effects

Damage, possibly severe, to epithelial surfaces (skin, oral, pharyngeal and bowel mucosa, urothelium)

Similarly, the lining of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bowel may be damaged by radiation. If the head and neck area is treated, temporary soreness and ulceration commonly occur in the mouth and throat.
The lower bowel may be treated directly with radiation (treatment of rectal or anal cancer) -Typical symptoms are soreness, diarrhoea, and nausea.

Swelling
Infertility
Generalized fatigue
Fibrosis
Hair loss
Dryness
Cancer -

Radiation therapy is used to treat mostly tumors either with a radioactive source close to the tumor (brachytherapy) or with a radiation beam that comes from a machine outside the patient (teletherapy). The latter type, also called external beam radiation therapy, is typically a high energy x-ray or electron beam where treatments are given daily Monday-Friday for any where from one treatment to 9 weeks. Some regimens differ, but this is the most common approach in the U.S.

With external beam radiation therapy, it's similar to a flashlight in some respects: when the radiation beam is on, radiation is actively being generated by the treatment machine and passes through you. Once the beam is off, the radiation is gone but the effects on the person's body gradually build up over time.

There should be no radiation safety issues with this type of external radiation treatment. However, if you have any questions about radiation safety at home then discuss it with a radiation oncologist.

No they cannot be.

As for the radiation side effects on a patient it all depends on where the radiation is being targeted at. The only one to suffer from side effects is the person having the radiation therapy.