Radiation for Ovarian Cancer: Correcting the Myths

Dr. Kevin Albuquerque UT Southwestern Medical Center

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Correcting the Record on Radiation for Ovarian Cancer

A lot of women have misconceptions about radiation for ovarian cancer
One misconception is that radiation stays in the body and can be passed on to family members at home — it can’t
Radiation also does not cause the severe side effects that many women think it will; the side effects are usually mild
Finally, because radiation for ovarian cancer is typical limited to a very specific location, it does not affect the bone marrow to a point where it interferes with chemotherapy

When we collaborate with physicians to create these resources, we always try to make people feel comfortable and included in the scientific knowledge around cancer. When it comes to radiation for ovarian cancer, a lot of women have fears that are rooted in what are actually myths.

For example, the idea that getting radiation can put your family members at risk is a misconception, says Dr. Kevin Albuquerque, a radiation oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. “Patients [may] feel they carry the radiation with them when they go home, and if they have small kids at home who they may come in contact with, they’re afraid that they could transfer the radiation to those family members,” he says. “And that is not true.”

On the contrary, Dr. Albuquerque clarifies, radiation for ovarian cancer actually disappears from your body instantly. In other words, you can’t go home and pass it onto your family members.

An additional myth surrounding radiation for ovarian cancer is the fact that it causes a lot of painful side effects, Dr. Albuquerque says. This too is false; radiation for ovarian cancer is usually given in really limited doses to very specific areas of the body. Accordingly, the side effects are usually mild and limited to that one area.

Finally, Dr. Albuquerque clarifies that radiation doesn’t interfere with the chemotherapy that you’re receiving for ovarian cancer. A lot of women think this is the case, he says, but the reality is that the radiation typically only affects a small area of the body.

“That’s a valid fear if we are using radiation to treat large areas of the bone marrow,” says Dr. Albuquerque, “[but] if we use focused doses of radiation, we typically spare the bone marrow from the effects of radiation. And so it does not have an impact upon the use of chemotherapy in the future.”

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Dr. Kevin Albuquerque is a radiation oncologist with UT Southwestern Medical Center. Read More

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