January 19th: Late effects of radiotherapy

anuary’s article is from the Interpersonal Skills JMIRS special edition. Rhea Crighton is a patient living with significant late effects of radiotherapy after treatment for cervical cancer in 2017. She explains how this continues to affect her, what support she has and why radiographers are well positioned to support patients with late effects. Crighton R. Living with Long-term Effects of Radiotherapy: A Patient’s Perspective. JMIRS. 2020 Dec; 51(4S):S14-S15. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2020.08.013. Epub 2020 This month’s blog by Zoe Grant is now available here. Themes: Rhea wrote “I found that, after the treatment ended, my oncologist appeared to struggle to provide support regarding my late effects” – do you think we struggle to provide support in this area and why? What late effects information and support services for patients are available where you work? What would a good service for patients experiencing late effects look like? What is the role of a radiation therapist/radiographer in the area of radiation therapy late effects? Additional resources: Webinar (Action Radiotherapy): Late effects of radiotherapy, a patient’s perspective Mellblom et al. Self-reported late effects and long-term follow-up care among 1889long-term Norwegian Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivors (the NOR-CAYACS study). Supportive Care in Cancer. 2020. Klonoff-Cohen K, Polavarapu M. Late-effects instruments for cancer survivors: A systematic review. PLoS ONE 15(2): 2020 Times: Vancouver 12pm (19th) /Edmonton 1pm (19th) /Toronto 3pm (19th) /UK 8pm (19th)/Brisbane 6am (20th) Sydney & Melbourne 7am (20th) /Auckland 9am (20th)