IMRT and side effects

I have been researching the internet like most of the readers and have been intrigued to read about IMRT, a radiation therapy that conforms to the size of the tumor and does less damage to the surrounding cells. My father will start this form of radiation and also will be on an oral chemo pill called xolodia or close to this spelling. It would seem that the chemo is indiscriminate in which cells it goes after which could counteract the improved form of radiation therapy. I would like to hear from someone who has had the chemo and radiation and did not need a feeding tube. Thank you and bless all of the writers and readers of this web site. 

i had IMRT for 28 times ( 5 days a week ) in conjunction with chemo ( cisplatin and 5 FU ). Post surgery shows radiation/chemo reduced tumor by about 20 - 25% and all cancer cells killed but unable to attribute whether it is radiation or chemo that did it. it is true that IMRT is more targeted to the tumor and does less damage to the surrounding organs. also chemo destroy cancer cells and good cells too as it blankets the entire body. i am very lucky in the sense that i did not have any side effects from the radiation ( or chemo ) with the exception that during the last week of radiation i lost appetite - not because i cannot eat but because nothing looks appertizing to me. i am told radiation is like exposing your body to sun light ie if you keep having sunlight on one spot you will eventually get burns. in my case it did not happen.

are you not in favor of a feeding tube? i had a j tube put in in case i cannot eat due to radiation - even though i never need it during radiation, we knew i will need it post surgery. so it was good to have it in place way ahead of time and be able to get used to it. i think a j tube is invaluable until a person can eat enough calories on his/her own.

what type of cancer does your father has?

 

 

brother has had 9 cycles of Gemzar and your mentioned XELOADA which is oral 5FU. this caused him some achy flu like gut symtoms and after a few cycles some what is calle "hand-foot- syndrome"  For him this being numbness and tingling and soreness in both feet. He go softer shoes and did not run or jump ..sort of like bruising I guess. ..little capilarries breaking, all  that good poison in there.

No knowledge of IMRT, radiation therapy. May get there later. Just Chemo for now. Good luck.

Xeloda (Capecitabine)  lots of names t track.

Chemo is systemic so it will also go after any cells which may have escaped the original site. Radiation is just going after the tumor itself and is more likely to actually shrink the tumor growth (targeting allows it to work in a very concentrated way in the area of actual tumor growth). The chemo can also make the tumor more radiosensitive, so it enhances the effect of the radiation on the tumor. They really work together, as opposed to the chemo somehow making the radiation less effective. They try to hit it from as many different directions as possible to slow it down or stop it.

Many of the combination chemos are designed so the different chemo drugs act on different phases of cell growth, or on different ways to turn off the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to become rampant. The combination of radiation and chemo would be similar in some ways. A multi-pronged approach.

i had this type of radiation combined with chemo.  i also had 28 sessions, 5 times a day.  never had to use a feeding tube, howevr it did get really hard towards the end of treatment.....i would say the worst time was the last week and the 2 weeks after.  it was very difficult to eat because everything would burn going down.  i was given pain killers and carafate, none of which seemed to help.  i found the best thing was manuka honey....i would take a teaspoon about 20 minutes prior to each meal and then again after.

when treatments were done my biopsy and scan both showed no live cancer cells.  surgery was left as my 'option'. i decided to have it because i was told although all tests were NED, i still had  a 45% chance of having microscopic cells which could not be detected without surgery.  pathology after surgery proved treatment was effective, there were no live cancer cells found.

it will be a year since my surgery on 9/2.  i left the hospital in 7 days after surgery and had no feeding tube...my tube was removed about 5 days after my operation.  i have since had no problems with scar tissue or getting food down.  life is good and i am grateful!