Why Does Radiation Therapy Cause Skin Reactions?
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy radiation or radioactive substances to shrink or kill cancerous cells. Radiation therapy may come from a machine outside the body via radiation beams or x-rays (external radiation), or from radioactive material placed directly into or near a tumor inside the body (internal radiation). When radiation passes through the skin, the skin cells in the treatment area become damaged. If you receive frequent radiation, your skin cells often do not have enough time to repair and regenerate in between treatments. Radiation therapy may cause the exposed skin to peel off faster than it can grow back, causing sores or ulcers to develop.
