Radiation Therapy for Kidney Cancer

Kidney cancer is often radioresistant, meaning radiation is not always a good treatment for it. Other treatments for kidney cancer tend to work better than radiation. Kidney or renal cancer is often treated with surgery. It can also be treated with chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. In some cases, though, radiation is used as part of the treatment plan.

Radiation therapy can be used for:

• Patients who are not healthy enough for surgery.
• Patients who only have one kidney.
• Managing symptoms like bleeding or pain.
• Decreasing the risk of the cancer coming back to the same place after surgery.
• Other parts of the body where kidney cancer may have spread (metastases).

If radiation is used to treat your kidney cancer, it will likely be external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). EBRT gives radiation from outside your body and focuses it on a certain area. If radiation is being used to treat cancer that has spread outside the kidney, then a certain type of EBRT is often used, called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

What should I expect before treatment?

Before starting radiation therapy, you will have a consultation (meeting) with your radiation oncologist to decide if radiation is right for you and to go over the treatment consent. If you plan to have radiation, you will have a CT simulation. During the simulation, you will be placed in the position you will be in for your treatments and pictures will be taken of the inside of your body. Immobilization tools (materials that help you stay still during treatment) along with tattoos are often used to get you in the same position for each treatment.

After the CT simulation, a treatment plan will be made for you. During treatment planning, your radiation oncologist will decide how many treatments you will get and how often. There are many people on your radiation care team, some you will meet, and others you might never meet.

What side effects should I expect during treatment?

Radiation is used to kill cancer cells but can also hurt normal cells in the treated area. The damage to these normal cells is the cause of the common side effects of radiation treatment. You will likely see your radiation treatment team once a week while you are getting treatments. This visit gives you a chance to ask questions, talk about side effects, and learn about ways to help manage the side effects. If you start having new or worsening side effects, you should call your treatment team.

Side effects from radiation are cumulative, meaning the more treatments you have, the higher your risk of side effects. The possible side effects of radiation therapy are related to the area of the body that is being treated. Also, most patients do not have any side effects until a few weeks into their treatment. Some side effects last for a short time and others are more long-term.

Short-Term Side Effects

Some of the most common short-term side effects of radiation therapy for kidney cancer are:

• Skin irritation: The skin in the treatment area may become red, irritated, dry, or sensitive. This may start to look like a sunburn. Treat the skin gently to avoid further irritation, and bathe with care, using only warm water and mild soap. Do not use perfumed or scented lotions or soaps, and avoid sun exposure, as these may worsen irritation.
• Fatigue: Fatigue is feeling very tired. This is very common and tends to start a few weeks into treatment. Fatigue often gets better slowly over the weeks and months after treatment.
• Alopecia (Hair Loss): This can happen in the area where you had radiation. Hair often starts to regrow a month or so after treatment. Your hair might not grow back as it was before treatment and for some, the hair loss is permanent.
• Nausea and/or vomiting: Nausea is when you feel sick to your stomach and may even be vomiting. This is common and may start during or right after treatment and last for some time after treatment ends. If you feel sick or are vomiting, let your care team know so they can help you manage this side effect.

Long-Term Side Effects

Long-term effects can happen months to many years after cancer treatment and the risks are based on the area of the body being treated and the techniques that are used. Some of the long-term side effects of radiation to the kidney are:

• Damage to the kidney.
• Bowel problems.
• Liver damage.
• Damage to the spleen.
• Skin changes.
• Secondary Cancer.

A more detailed guide to these late effects of radiation for kidney cancer can be found in our survivorship section: Survivorship: Late Effects After Radiation for Kidney Cancer.

There are ways to treat many of these side effects, such as medications and therapy. After treatment, talk with your oncology team about receiving a survivorship care plan, which can help you manage life after cancer. You can make your survivorship care plan using the OncoLife Survivorship Care Plan.

Interested in learning more about what your radiation therapy will look like? We have a video that explains what to expect during your radiation therapy that can help answer your questions.