There are four main ways to treat breast cancer. Chemotherapy and hormone therapy are systemic treatments that kill cancer cells in your whole body. Surgery and radiation therapy are local treatments that get rid of cancer cells only in the breast area. These treatments can be used alone, or you and your doctor may decide to use a combination of treatments. If you are going to have radiation treatments for breast cancer, you should know the advantages, disadvantages, side effects and possible outcomes of the procedure.
Identification
Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, is a treatment that uses radiation to destroy cancer cells. Radiation in low doses is used for x-rays to take pictures of the inside of your body. In high doses, radiation can kill cancer cells, shrink them and stop them from spreading.
Types
Radiation treatment can be given in three ways. External radiation sends a beam of radiation at cancer cells from a machine outside of your body. This is usually done five days a week for six weeks. In implant radiation, radiation is implanted in your breast through a small tube. With brachytherapy, a balloon is placed inside your breast during surgery. After surgery, the balloon is inflated and radiation is put into the balloon with a catheter twice a day for 1 week. Depending on your cancer, you may need more than one type of radiation therapy.
Side Effects
Radiation treatments can affect healthy cells as well as cancerous ones. Reddening of the skin in your breast area and changes in the texture of your breast are common. Radiation could affect drainage in your lymph nodes, causing your arm to swell. You may have trouble moving your shoulder. After you receive several treatments you can feel tired, sore, weak and nauseous. Watch for depression, pain that doesn't go away, swelling, rashes, numbness, bruises, bleeding, weight loss, chest pain, fever, vomiting, constipation, cough, change in appetite, dizziness and diarrhea. Your doctor can prescribe medication that takes care of side effects, so you need to know what problems you're having and make them known.
Benefits
If you have radiation therapy, your breast won't have to be removed. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 20 years of research show that women who have a lumpectomy followed by radiation treatment live as long as women who have their whole breast removed. Radiation treatment isn't painful while you're getting it, and the side effects can be managed. You are part of a radiation therapy team that works together to give you treatment that's right for your condition. Your team includes a radiation oncologist that prescribes the amount of radiation you need, a nurse practitioner that orders tests and manages side effects, a radiation nurse that provides care during treatments, and a radiation therapist that works with you during each radiation treatment.
Considerations
Radiation therapy doesn't shrink and kill your cancer cells immediately. You can have weeks of treatment before they start to die, and cancer cells can keep dying for months after radiation treatments are over. People who are pregnant or have a collagen-vascular disease can't have radiation therapy. If radiation therapy is prescribed for you, travel to a large hospital or medical center may be necessary.
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