Hello
My son had thymoma and his thymus removed at the end of May. Some microscopic cancer cells remained in his pleura and he has to have 6 weeks of radiotherapy to zap these. He has had 3 weeks of it so far. But over the last week (his 2nd week of radio) he has started coughing a lot. Is this a normal side effect of radiotherapy to the chest? Can it irritate the windpipe or lung?
Welcome to our online community. Thank you for getting in touch.
My name is Joanne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.
I can see that you are a member of a couple of our online forums and wondered if it would be useful for you to also have a look at our Thymus cancer forum.
I hope your son’s treatment for his Thymus gland cancer is going well as he continues his Radiotherapy .
There are a number Chest radiotherapy side effects which can occur when somebody is having treatment to this area of the body.
These can include a cough or shortness of breath, due to inflammation of the lungs. It’s important that your son lets his doctor, or the radiographer know that he has developed a cough – the team will want to monitor this as he continues his treatment.
In some cases, the inflammation of the lungs can develop into radiation pneumonitis and this may require treatment with steroids depending on the severity of the symptoms.
Increasing his fluid intake to reduce dryness of his throat and sleeping on extra pillows to raise his upper body can help reduce the impact of a cough and his team may recommend other measures to help with his symptoms.
If his cough worsens, or he develops shortness of breath, he should seek urgent medical assessment with his cancer team or by attending A&E out of hours. Whilst a cough is a common side effect with this type of treatment, it’s important that any changes or worsening of his symptoms are assessed quickly.
I hope this information is useful Ma78. Please do keep in touch with us here at Macmillan if there is anything else we can support you with.
Supporting yourself when a loved one has cancer is really important and you may also find some further support from our Family and Friends forum as well as contacting our support line to talk things through in more detail.
Ref JH/GMcR
Joanne H - Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
Remember you can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or by email.
