[[{"@type":["BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/are-you-healthy-enough-for-radiation-therapy\/#BlogPosting","@context":{"@vocab":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","kg":"http:\/\/g.co\/kg"},"url":["https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/are-you-healthy-enough-for-radiation-therapy\/","https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/are-you-healthy-enough-for-radiation-therapy\/"],"publisher":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/"}],"author":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/are-you-healthy-enough-for-radiation-therapy\/#BlogPosting_author_Organization","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates"}],"inLanguage":"en-US","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/are-you-healthy-enough-for-radiation-therapy\/#BlogPosting_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Sick-Woman.jpg"}],"headline":"Am I Too Sick for Radiation Therapy?","dateModified":"2021-11-11T13:11:59+00:00","datePublished":"2019-05-07T03:22:02+00:00","description":"Are you thinking about starting cancer radiation therapy, but worried you might be too sick? Get the facts on the RCCA blog.","articleBody":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMay 7, 2019\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\nDuring radiation therapy, beams of intense energy are used to kill cancer cells. Sometimes, healthy cells in the surrounding area can get damaged, too. Because of the intensity and potential side effects of this treatment, patients need to be in reasonably good health before starting. To understand more cancer treatment options and how they pertain to you, talk to your RCCA oncologist.\nMaking the Best Decisions for Your Health\nDepending on your age, health status and previous medical conditions, you might not be a good candidate for radiation therapy. It\u2019s typically not recommend for patients who are pregnant, who have a preexisting condition that makes them more sensitive to the side effects or who have already received high-dose radiation to that body part.\nHowever, even if you aren\u2019t healthy enough for other types of treatment, like chemotherapy, you may be healthy enough for radiation. That\u2019s because radiation can be given in low doses and shorter intervals. Plus, it can be used as a form of palliative care to help relieve symptoms in advanced cancers. So even elderly patients or those who might otherwise be considered too sick might still be good candidates for radiation therapy. Together, you and your doctor can decide what course of action will be most beneficial for you, given your individual health and goals.\nGetting Sick during Radiation Therapy\nWhile going through radiation therapy, you might feel sick or come down with a cold or flu. If this happens, is it safe to go on with your treatment as planned? In most situations, it is safe to continue treatment. However, it\u2019s always best to let your doctor know or to at least tell the staff upon check-in. They may decide to push back your radiation a few days or longer so that you can be strong and healthy enough for treatment.\nSimilarly, if you have a severe reaction to radiation therapy, your doctors may pause or stop your treatment altogether. Your health is the top priority at RCCA, and we want to make sure any treatment you receive is safe.\nWhether radiation therapy is right for you or not, trust that you\u2019re in good hands at RCCA. With compassionate, highly experienced oncologists and advanced technology, we\u2019ll do everything we can to deliver the best care possible. Schedule an appointment at one of our facilities near you.\nwe are here for you\nFor more information or to schedule an appointment, call 844-346-7222. You can also schedule an appointment by calling the RCCA location nearest you.\nRELATED ARTICLES\nRegional Cancer Care Associates is one of fewer than 200 medical practices in the country selected to participate in the Oncology Care Model (OCM); a recent Medicare initiative aimed at improving care coordination and access to and quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing chemotherapy treatment.\n\u00a9 2022 Regional Cancer Care Associates. All rights reserved.","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/are-you-healthy-enough-for-radiation-therapy\/"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"LocalBusiness","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Corporate Office 25 Main Street, Suite 601","postalCode":"07601","addressRegion":"NJ","addressLocality":"Hackensack","addressCountry":"USA","name":"Postal Address","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/#PostalAddress"},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"1024","height":"468","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg"},"contactPoint":[{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactOption":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#ContactPointOption","availableLanguage":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_language","areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey"],"contactType":"customer support","telephone":"+1 (844) 346-7222","email":"info@regionalcancercare.org","description":"Corporate Office Regional Cancer Care Associates 25 Main Street, Suite 601 Hackensack, NJ 07601 info@regionalcancercare.org Phone: (844) 346-7222","name":"Contact Corporate Office","image":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/RCCA_logo-300x137.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#CorporateOffice"},{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactOption":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#ContactPointOption","availableLanguage":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_language","areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey"],"contactType":"customer support","telephone":"+1 (201) 510-0922","email":"msalvemini@regionalcancercare.org","description":"Media Inquiries: Mary Lou Salvemini Regional Cancer Care Associates Phone: (201) 510-0922 Email: msalvemini@regionalcancercare.org","name":"Contact Media Inquiries","image":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/RCCA_logo-300x137.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#MediaInquiries"}],"areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey"],"additionalType":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Treatment_of_cancer","alternateName":"RCCA","description":"Leaders in Advanced Compassionate Cancer Care. Fight cancer with leading-edge treatments, experienced skill and local caring\/convenience from one of the nation's largest networks of cancer specialists.","email":"info@regionalcancercare.org","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/rgnlcancercare","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/regionalcancercareassoc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/10059183","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCFlVzU4UvZcyXBCe9ZSvAUQ"],"telephone":"+1 (844) 346-7222","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/"}],{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Am I Too Sick for Radiation Therapy?","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/are-you-healthy-enough-for-radiation-therapy\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]