Radiation therapy – also called radiotherapy – is a highly targeted, highly effective way to destroy cancer cells in the breast that stick around after the surgery. Radiation can reduce the risk of recurrence of breast cancer by about 70%. Despite what many people fear radiation is relatively easy to tolerate the side effects and is limited to the treated area.
Your radiation treatments will be monitored by a radiation oncologist, a physician who specializes in cancer radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy is using a large machine called a linear accelerator to precise amounts of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells provide. The radiation stops the reproduction of cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. Radiotherapy has been shown that survival in women with breast cancer to improve.
Radiotherapy for breast cancer can be used:
Radiation therapy is painless. However, some women experience side effects, which may include:
Sometimes women also experience a sore mouth or throat, dry mouth or, if these areas are irradiated.
During irradiation for breast cancer, women should:
Many advances in radiotherapy for breast cancer have helped women to avoid long-term side effects. However, they can occur and include:
Radiation therapy may cause side effects during treatment. You
You may not notice these effects until a few weeks you’ve had treatment. They start to get better when your treatment ends. But you may feel tired for several months thereafter.
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For most women the appearance of the breast after radiotherapy is very good. But if you’re concerned about the potential side effects, talk to your radio or breast care nurse therapist. You can also find it useful to look at the main section on radiotherapy side effects.
Radiotherapy can affect your risk of some types of breast reconstruction, even if they otherwise may be suitable for you. Tissue expansion reconstruction is usually not possible after radiotherapy to the breast because the skin becomes less elastic post. Some forms of breast reconstruction using tissue may not be, as the breast area is a good blood supply for this type of surgery. Radiotherapy reduces blood flow to the area.
The radiotherapy is some lasting effect on your skin and any breast tissue left after breast conserving surgery. You may find that you