Page 1717 - Cote clinical veterinary advisor dogs and cats 4th

863.e4 Radiation Therapy: Adverse Reactions

• Acute skin effects: reduce skin folds, remove • Encourage pet owners to keep patient from ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED
bolus if necessary, avoid topical agents licking, biting, scratching, or chewing READINGS
VetBooks.ir radiation, and ensure surgical wounds have collars, Elizabethan collars, and bandages if Cox JD, et al: Radiation oncology: rationale,
immediately before RT, use higher-energy
tissure in the radiation field. Use no-bite
technique, results, ed 9, St. Louis, 2010, Mosby.
necessary.
healed before initiation of RT.
Dow KD, et al: Nursing care in radiation oncology,
• Chronic skin effects: early detection and
ed 2, Philadelphia, 1997, WB Saunders.
treatment Client Education Haubner F, et al: Wound healing after radiation
• Head/neck effects: pre-RT dental prophy- • Teach owners when to expect and how to therapy: review of the literature. Radiat Oncol
laxis and removal of unhealthy teeth to manage acute effects. Promote role of radia- 7:162, 2012.
decrease severity of mucositis and risk of tion therapist in client education and side LaDue T, et al: Toxicity criteria of the veterinary
osteonecrosis effect management. radiation therapy oncology group. Vet Radiol
Ultrasound 42:475-476, 2001.
• Ocular: tape eyelids open for anterior mega- • Prepare notebook with photographs of radia- Mendelsohn F, et al: Wound care after radiation
voltage beam fields to the eye to decrease tion side effects as a tool for client education. therapy. Adv Skin Wound Care 15(5):216-224,
dose to cornea and conjunctiva (otherwise, Use serial photographs to display effects as 2002.
the eyelids serve as a site of radiation dose they heal with time.
buildup, increasing the dose delivered to the • Use handouts describing potential effects and RELATED CLIENT EDUCATION
cornea). management to encourage client information
recall. SHEET
Technician Tips
• Early recognition and treatment of side effects SUGGESTED READING Consent to Perform Radiation Therapy
• Photographs and diagnostic imaging of the Bruner DW, et al: Manual for radiation oncology AUTHORS: Tracy A. LaDue, DVM, DACVIM, DACVR;
radiation field at start of RT provide baseline nursing practice and education, ed 3, Pittsburgh, Deborah J. Davis, RT(T), RN
for comparison in the future if needed. 2005, Oncology Nursing Society. EDITOR: Kenneth M. Rassnick, DVM, DACVIM

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