Radiation treatment is the use of high energy rays (such as x-rays) to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. External beam radiation is given in a way much like the x-rays used to find broken bones. The total dose of radiation is broken into small amounts given over many days. Each session involves having your child lie on a special table while a machine delivers the radiation. The treatment does not hurt. Each session lasts about 15 to 30 minutes, with most of the time being spent making sure the radiation is aimed correctly. Some younger children may be given medicine to make them drowsy before each treatment.
This type of radiation is often used along with surgery for more advanced Wilms tumors (stages III, IV, and V) and for some earlier stage tumors with unfavorable histology. (See the section "What is Wilms tumor?" for more on histology.)
Possible side effects of radiation therapy
Side effects from radiation can include nausea, diarrhea, tiredness, and sunburn-like skin changes. Often these will go away after a short while. Radiation can also cause a second cancer to develop or can damage other organs or tissues that are in the area being treated (the radiation field). But this usually doesn't happen because the amount of radiation used is low. Still, parents should have their child watched closely by doctors so that they can treat any problems quickly if they do come up. See the section, "Moving on after treatment" for more on the possible long-term effects of treatment.
To learn more about radiation treatment, see our document, Understanding Radiation Therapy.
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