Episode 424: Radiation Site-Specific Side Effects: Cancers of the Pelvis

"Think about what organs lie in the radiation field, and anything that lies in that radiation field is likely going to have some potential temporary—hopefully temporary—side effects. If you think about the pelvis, the things that live in there are the bladder, urethra, some bowel, rectum, reproductive organs, skin, some lymph nodes. And so, all of those things could potentially have associated side effects," ONS member Kayla Kafka-Peterson, BSN, RN, ROCN™, nurse navigator and leader in the brachytherapy and peri-anesthesia programs at UCLA Health, in Los Angeles, CA, told Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS®, TCTCN™, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a conversation about radiation side effects in cancers of the pelvis.

Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

Earn 0.75 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by July 17, 2027. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Learning outcome: Learners will report an increase in knowledge related to radiation to the pelvis.

Episode Notes

Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.  ONS Podcast™ episodes: Radiation Site-Specific Side Effects series Episode 301: Radiation Oncology: Side Effect and Care Coordination Best Practices Episode 298: Radiation Oncology: Nursing's Essential Roles ONS Voice articles: Highly Localized, Precision Radiation Therapies Require Nurses to Drive Care Coordination, Patient Education The Intersection of Pelvic Health and Oncology Optimizes Sexual Symptom Management ONS book: Manual for Radiation Oncology Nursing Practice and Education (fifth edition) ONS courses: Nurse Navigation and Care During Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer: 2025 ONS Bridge™ Session ONS ROCN™ Certification Review™ ONS/ONCC® Radiation Therapy Certificate™ Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles: Updated Interventions for Radiation-Induced Diarrhea: Putting Evidence Into Practice With the Oncology Nursing Society Genitourinary Distress: Common Side Effect Sexual Dysfunction: Common Side Effect Brachytherapy: Increased Use in Patients With Intermediate- and High-Risk Prostate Cancers Oncology Nursing Forum article: Effect of Foot Reflexology and Aromatherapy on Anxiety and Pain During Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer ONS Guidelines™ and Symptom Management Resources: Radiodermatitis Radiation-Induced Diarrhea Brachytherapy Huddle Card American Brachytherapy Society American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) GEC-ESTRO Committee International Gynecologic Cancer Society Nursing Certificate Program To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.

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To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email pubONSVoice@ons.org.

Highlights From This Episode

"Brachytherapy is delivered two main ways. The most common is LDR and HDR. LDR stands for low-dose-rate radiation, which is the older type of brachytherapy, but it is still very much practiced today. And it is where we put radioactive seeds directly into the tumor or tumor resection bed, depending on what you're treating. And those pieces of radioactive material, such as iodine-125 or palladium-103, those will give off radiation over time and treat the area that they are in, and they will place more or less seeds into the tumor, depending on that patient's needs and their anatomy." TS 3:26

"The most common [side effect] for external beam is bladder irritation—cystitis. It can be some burni