Name a common late effect of pelvic radiotherapy.

• A. Bowel dysfunction.
• B. Hair loss.
• C. Hearing loss.
• D. Shortness of breath.

Answer: (A)

Pelvic radiotherapy often affects the bowel because the rectum and portions of the colon lie within the treatment area. The late effects come from lasting injury to the mucosa, blood vessels, and connective tissue, which leads to chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and impaired motility. This can result in long-term symptoms such as diarrhea, urgency, fecal incontinence, and rectal bleeding—classic signs of radiation-induced bowel dysfunction that can appear months to years after treatment. Hair loss, hearing loss, and shortness of breath involve other regions or tissues (scalp, ears, chest/lungs) and are not typical late pelvic radiotherapy effects, reinforcing why bowel dysfunction is the common late outcome in this setting.