The side effects you experience will vary depending on the type and dose of radiation, and the areas treated. Brachytherapy tends to have fewer side effects than EBRT. Side effects often get worse during treatment and just after the course of treatment has ended. They usually get better within weeks, through some may continue for longer. Some side effects may not show up until many months or years after treatment. These are called late effects.
Short-term side effects
| fatigue | Your body uses a lot of energy to recover, and travelling to treatment can also be tiring. The fatigue may last for weeks after treatment ends. Exercise can help manage fatigue. |
| bowel problems and bladder problems | Radiation therapy can cause inflammation and swelling of the bowel (radiation proctitis) and bladder (radiation cystitis). Bowel movements may be more frequent, urgent or loose (diarrhoea), or you may pass more wind than normal. Less commonly, there may be blood in the faeces (poo or stools). You may also pass urine (wee) more often or with more urgency, or with a burning sensation. Your treatment team will prescribe medicines to reduce these side effects. |
| nausea and vomiting | Because the radiation therapy is directed near your abdomen, you may feel sick (nauseous), with or without vomiting, for several hours after each treatment. Your doctor may prescribe anti-nausea medicine to help prevent this. |
| vaginal discharge | Radiation therapy may cause or increase vaginal discharge. Let your treatment team know if the discharge smells bad or has blood in it. Do not wash with douches as this may cause infection. |
| skin redness, soreness and swelling | The vulva and the skin in the groin area may become sore and swollen. The area may look pink or red and feel itchy, and then peel, blister or weep. Your treatment team will recommend creams and pain relief to use. Wash the vulva with lukewarm water or weak salt bath perfumed products, and wear cotton underwear. |
Long-term or late effects
| hair loss | You may lose your pubic hair. Sometimes, this can be permanent. Radiation therapy to the pelvis will not affect the hair on your head or other parts of your body. |
| bowel changes and bladder changes | Bowel changes, such as diarrhoea, wind or constipation, and bladder changes, such as frequent or painful urination can also be late effects, appearing months or years after treatment. Bleeding from the bowel or bladder can also occur. In rare cases, there may be loss of bowel control (faecal incontinence) or blockage of the bowel. It is important to let your doctor know about any bleeding or if you have pain in the abdomen and difficulty opening your bowels. |
| lymphoedema | Radiation can scar the lymph nodes and vessels and stop them draining lymph fluid properly from the legs, making the legs swollen. This can occur months or years after radiation therapy. Look for early signs that you a developing lymphoedema to make treating it easier. |
| narrowing of the vagina | The vagina can become drier, shorter and narrower (vaginal stenosis), which may make sex and pelvic examinations uncomfortable or difficult. Your treatment team will suggest strategies to prevent this, such as using vaginal dilators. |
| menopause | If you are premenopausal, radiation therapy to the pelvis can stop the ovaries producing hormones and this cause early menopause. Your periods will stop, you will no longer be able to become pregnant and you may have menopausal symptoms. Talk to your radiation oncologist about these issues. You may be able to visit a menopause clinic. |
Key resource
Download a PDF booklet on this topic.
More resources
A/Prof Jim Nicklin, Director, Gynaecological Oncology, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, and Associate Professor Gynaecologic Oncology, The University of Queensland, QLD; Dr Robyn Cheuk, Senior Radiation Oncologist, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Prof Michael Friedlander, Medical Oncologist, The Prince of Wales Hospital and Conjoint Professor of Medicine, The University of NSW, NSW; Kim Hobbs, Clinical Specialist Social Worker, Gynaecological Cancer, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Adele Hudson, Statewide Clinical Nurse Consultant, Gynaecological Oncology Service, Royal Hobart Hospital, TAS; Dr Anthony Richards, Gynaecological Oncologist, The Royal Women’s Hospital and Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital, VIC; Georgina Richter, Gynaecological Oncology Clinical Nurse Consultant, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Deb Roffe, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA.
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