Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer

华体会 offers the latest radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment. While surgery can remove cancerous masses, radiation therapy helps kill the rest of the tiny cancer cells that may remain after surgery.

External radiation therapy sends high levels of radiation directly to the tissues that may have cancer cells. Many patients can complete breast radiation therapy in 3 to 4 weeks. When treating lymph nodes as well, radiation therapy may take 5 to 6 weeks.

The type of radiation therapy you receive depends on many things. Radiation therapy may be given with chemotherapy to lower the risk of cancer coming back to the affected breast. You may have more than 1 type of radiation therapy.

Radiation Therapy Overview

Radiation can be given to an exact area of your body from an outside source. Radiation can also be given from an internal source placed in the breast.

There are many types of radiation therapy. Your physician and care team will use the radiation therapy that fits best with your treatment and care plan.

Accelerated Breast Radiation Therapy

华体会 uses advanced radiation techniques tthat can shorten the amount and length of radiation. This can make your treatment more convenient and less stressful.

Image-Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT)

IGRT is a noninvasive radiation method. During IGRT, images taken during a course of radiation therapy improve the precision and accuracy of the radiation delivery.

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

(IMRT) is a very exact form of radiotherapy that “sculpts” the dose of radiation to the unique shape of a tumor. Treatment with IMRT is slightly longer than with conventional radiation. However, it may reduce side effects.

Proton Therapy

Proton therapy is a form of targeted radiation therapy that can help reduce the amount of radiation that goes to nearby healthy tissue.

Roles of Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy may be used at different times in your breast cancer treatment, including:

  • After lumpectomy or mastectomy, to kill the tiny cancer cells that may be left behind after surgery.
  • In metastatic breast cancer. Sometimes, breast cancer can spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body. For metastatic breast cancer, radiation therapy may be used to shrink cancer in the spots where it has spread. It may also be used to help control the spread of cancer in specific spots.
  • After recurrence. If your breast cancer comes back after surgery, radiation therapy may be used to shrink the breast cancer, especially if it was not used after surgery.

Your Safety During Radiation Therapy

Radiation kills cancer cells, but it can also harm healthy cells. Your physician will try to protect your healthy cells during your treatment with medication and precise targeting. 华体会 is committed to your safety during your breast cancer treatment. There can be a risk of cardiotoxicity, or damage to the heart with radiation, especially when treating the left breast. There is also risk of damage to the lungs. Your radiation team may use different techniques to protect your heart and lungs, including:

  • Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH): You take a big deep breath into your chest and hold. This moves the heart away from the breast and out of the radiation field.
  • Prone Positioning: You lay on your stomach and let the breast fall away from the chest with gravity. This can help deliver radiation to the breast while avoiding the heart and lung.
  • IMRT: A type of radiation therapy used to increase precision and decrease unnecessary exposure to healthy tissues.
  • Proton Radiotherapy, which uses high-energy proton beams instead of X-ray beams.

Side Effects

There may be side effects to radiation therapy. You should be aware of any unusual symptoms after therapy. Let your physician or nurse practitioner know about the following:

  • New lumps or bumps
  • Swelling
  • Rashes
  • Skin peeling
  • Cough, shortness of breath, low grade fever
  • Temporary sore throat