How does taking radiation and chemotherapy at the same time affect my body?
For certain types of cancers, a combination of radiation and chemotherapy are more effective than either one alone. Chemotherapy is systemic treatment acting on the entire body as it travels through the bloodstream. When given at the same time as radiation, it often increases the effect of radiation on cancer cells. Unfortunately, sometimes there is also an increase in side effects when both treatments are given together. The exact type of chemotherapy used depends on what kind of cancer is being treated.
For certain types of cancer, a combination of radiation and chemotherapy is more effective than either one alone. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment that acts on the whole body as it travels through the bloodstream. When it is given at the same time as radiation, it often increases the effect of radiation on cancer cells.
