How Does Radiation Therapy Work For Breast Cancer

Radiation therapy has an important role in treating all stages of breast cancer because it is so effective and relatively safe.

How does radiation therapy work for breast cancer. Why radiation is necessary. External beam breast cancer radiation traditional cancer killing rays delivered by a large machine. External beam radiation is the most common kind of radiation treatment for breast cancer. This includes surgery to remove cancer from the breast and lymph nodes radiation therapy if only part of the breast is removed and drugs to block hormones like estrogen or progesterone.

Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. This is the most common type of radiation therapy used for breast cancer. Radiation therapy is often one of the treatments used for breast cancer. Although it s quite possible that your surgeon removed all the cancer breast cancer.

Radiation therapy for early breast cancer typically involves treatment once a day 5 days a week for 3 6 weeks. Getting to and from the treatment center every day for weeks can be hard especially if you live far away or if children or other family members rely on you for care. There are multiple ways radiation therapy is used and even different types of delivery systems. You may also need the services of a dietitian physical therapist social worker dentist or dental oncologist pharmacist or other health care providers.

The radiation used in cancer treatment is highly focused controllable and generally safe. Radiation therapy for breast cancer may be delivered in two ways. Radiation therapy most often uses x rays but protons or other types of energy also can be used. It may be appropriate for people with stage 0 through stage iii breast cancer after lumpectomy or mastectomy.

This nurse has special training in cancer treatment and can give you information about radiation treatment and managing side effects. Learn more about what to. There are two main kinds of radiation therapy that may be considered and some people have both. A doctor will place a machine on the outside of your.

It s a painless treatment like getting an x ray. A machine delivers radiation from outside your body to the breast. Internal breast cancer radiation newer treatments that inject radioactive cancer killing treatments only in the affected area.