S/O chemo, what about radiation treatment?

[angie7]

I didn't want to hi-jack the other thread. But my FIL has prostate cancer. Right now he is going through the hormone treatment to shrink his prostate, then will start radiation within the next month or so. It will be localized and throughout his body type radiation. My twins are very healthy, completely non vaxed. Would they be safe to be around him all the time, or should we wait a few days/weeks after his radiation treatment?

*this has always bugged me but is radiation treatment different then chemo? we were led to believe it was but it kinda sounds similiar in treatment?

thx!

[abby'smom]

I am a radiation oncologist. There is absolutely nothing about your FIL receiving radiation treatments that would be harmful to your children if he is not getting the "internal" kind of radiation. Radiation is totally different than chemo in that it is "energy" specifically applied to tumors and chemo is usually drugs that go everywhere in the body. Good luck to him with his treatments!

[pantufla]

The radiation they offered my father for his prostate cancer was in the form of radiation "pellets" injected into the prostate. They slowly release small amounts of radiation over a long period of time. But I don't know whether or not it's ok for kids to be around someone immediately after that type of procedure.

[angie7]

They told us that they were doing localized and also radiation throughout his body (they didn't say how or for how long) so I dunno....