Assessment of Stated Practice to Manage Side Effects of Radiotherapy among Cancer Patients in Selected Hospitals of West Bengal

Background and Aim: As per the Global Cancer Observatory report, there were approximately 20 million new cases of cancer in 2022. Different body tissues respond differently and their sensitivity varies to radiation injury. Treating cancer may lead to many physical and psychological problems among cancer patients; it has been observed that patients receiving radiotherapy follow a variety of strategies to make the side effects more acceptable and easier to adopt. The aim of the study was to assess the stated practice to manage the side effects of radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: A descriptive observational study was conducted from January 2023 to March 2023. Samples were selected from two different medical colleges and hospitals in West Bengal who were diagnosed with cancer and receiving radiotherapy treatment at the time of the data collection period. The nonprobability purposive sampling technique was used for sample size calculation. A total of 171 patients were interviewed with a self-structured validated interview schedule after receiving approval from competent authorities. Results: A total of 171 patients were included in the study. The majority of the patients (42.7%) were in the age group of 44–56 years, most (44.4%) had no formal education, less than half (48.15%) of patients faced skin changes due to radiotherapy in the chest wall, and only 14.81% of patients followed doctor’s advice to manage skin changes. A larger number of patients who received radiotherapy in the face-and-neck region had oral ulcers, difficulty in swallowing, thickened saliva, and skin change. Those who received radiotherapy in the pelvis had moist desquamation, local infection, and diarrhea in, respectively, 55.2%, 60.5%, and 57.8% of cases. Conclusion: It is very necessary for every cancer patient receiving radiotherapy to know about the side effects of radiotherapy and how to manage them. Healthcare providers can help them to understand how they can manage those side effects in an effective way.