Radiation therapy remains one of the most common tools for breast cancer treatment, but it has been refined considerably over the years.
Radiation is designed in two different types: external or internal.
External radiation treatments consist of an energetic, highly focused beam used to destroy cancer cells and surrounding tissue. Though the beam is invisible to the eye, it can pass semi-transparently through the skin. The different composition and behavior of the cancer cells, though, causes them to react differently.
Healthy cells are in the path of the radiation and are affected by it. But, as cancer cells are actively dividing and growing in abnormal ways, their function is more readily interrupted. They may absorb a much higher percentage of the radiative energy than healthy cells. That energy kills the cancer cells. The beam may also destroy the blood vessels around the tumor that the cancer generates in order to feed itself.
Internal radiation therapy, sometimes called brachytherapy, is more akin to chemotherapy. But rather than using drugs per se to affect a chemical change, a small amount of radioactive material is implanted. That material ejects radiation that targets cancer cells, killing them from the inside.
Internal radiation therapy isn’t as common as external. But just like with any other treatment method when and how it is utilized is something that is determined after you meet with a specialist.
Radiation therapy is typically used prior to or in addition to another treatment. After an individual has a modified mastectomy the oncologist usually recommends that they also receive a course of radiation treatment lasting anywhere from six to eight weeks.
The optimal goal of radiation treatment is to make sure that any cancerous cells not removed by the surgeon are destroyed through radiation treatment. Radiation treatment is a treatment that isn’t as intense because using radiation to completely rid the body of cancer would require both longer and higher doses.
Sometimes radiation treatments might accompany chemotherapy. Because each individual situation is unique both the oncologist and the patient will work together to determine the best treatment method. In some cases radiation treatments are used to relieve symptoms without expecting the cancer to be cured.
Even though the beam of light emitted through radiation is intense the treatments themselves are painless. Radiation treatments do have horrible side effects.
Radiation treatments can produce fatigue, particularly in the later stages of treatment. Treatments are often given five days a week for several weeks, sometimes twice per day. In these cases, the fatigue can last for a few weeks or longer after treatment ends.
Having skin issues is a rather common side effect. Because radiation is absorbed by the surrounding breast tissue. In these areas the individual might experience symptoms like redness, soreness, and itching. These individual’s might notice less sensation on and around the breast. It might also be notices under the arm and in surrounding areas. Radiation does not cause an individual to lose hair unless it is directly applied to the head, which usually isn’t the case during breast cancer treatment.
In some instances that are more intense the immune system can be compromised especially if an individual is having radiation applied to their lymph nodes. Both the lymph nodes and the vessels that connect to them are a necessary part of the immune system and radiation treatment can potentially work to increase their effectiveness.
Luckily, the side effects of radiation are typically short. Aside from the most extreme instances usually organs, lymph nodes and other bodily functions and components aren’t completely destroyed or harmed beyond repair during radiation treatment. However, their function could be temporarily hindered, but the body will quickly bounce back.