A co-worker says he gets radiation therapy and it dissolves some of his bones and makes him smell like he's been drinking. lie?

Makes no sense: My experience shows that the only thing that makes someone smell like alcohol...is alcohol. Alcohol containing hand sanitizers can smell like alcohol temporarily, but almost all the time if some one smells like they've been drinking, they have. Thanks for trusting HealthTap!

Radiation rx: Tissue injury is an intended and unintended result of radiation therapy. Tumor cell death is the goal. Bone is much less sensitive than soft tissue, but bone in the focused beam of XRT can sustain cell damage. The area is small. There is no ethanol smell consequence of XRT.