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Cancer Information Tips :: Radiation Breast Cancer
Radiation Breast Cancer: Breast Cancer and Radiation Treatment
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Radiation – breast cancer survivors know it well and those recently diagnosed with the disease may be fearing it. To learn more about radiation therapy, how it works, when it's used and common side effects, keep reading.
About Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy for breast cancer uses high-energy x-rays that either kill cancer cells or inhibit their ability to divide or grow. Cancer cells grow rapidly and are therefore more susceptible to the effects of radiation therapy, more so than normal, healthy cells.
When Radiation Therapy is Used
Radiation therapy is used to treat breast cancer at almost every stage of the disease's progress. Radiation therapy is used in stage I and stage II primary breast cancer along with surgery and in some cases, after a mastectomy.
Radiation – Breast Cancer After A Lumpectomy
After a lumpectomy, radiation therapy is typically recommended to prevent a relapse or recurrence of the cancer. This kind of recurrence is called in-breast recurrence.
If radiation therapy is not done, the risk of in-breast recurrence over the course of the decade following the lumpectomy is between 20 and 35 percent. However, when radiation therapy is used after the surgery, that rate decreases to a phenomenal 5 to 10 percent.
Radiation after a lumpectomy may not be appropriate if the patient is pregnant, has a connective tissue disease like lupus or has had previous radiation to the affected area.
Radiation After a Mastectomy
Most doctors recommend radiation therapy after a mastectomy for patients who are at a high risk for cancer recurrence anywhere on the chest wall. Factors that put many women at risk include underarm lymph nodes that may test positive for cancerous cells, any tumor larger than 5 cm, and narrow margins for positive cancer cells in the removed tissue.
The value of radiation to destroy a minimal amount of positive lymph nodes is somewhat controversial. Some practitioners argue that it prevents recurrence, but may lead to other problems such as heart issues, as radiation can affect the coronary arteries.
Side Effects of Radiation
Radiation is a cumulative process, meaning side effects tend to become more pronounced as the treatment progresses and continues.
The most common side effect of radiation is fatigue. Patients should plan for this and opt to either take time off of work or cut down on their stress and overall workload both at the office and at home. Some changes like a difference in skin color, different skin texture or increased skin irritation can also occur.
Skin irritation, itchiness, redness, shininess, soreness, peeling, blistering, swelling, decreased sensitization, hypersensation are all also common side effects of radiation.
Breast cancer survivors often compare them to symptoms similar to those experienced after a painful sunburn. As the treatment ends, these symptoms gradually fade and go away.
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CancerInfoTips.com :: Radiation Breast Cancer