Some women with breast cancer, in addition to other treatments, will often need radiation. The need for radiation depends on what kind of surgery you have had, whether your cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or elsewhere in your body, and your age in some cases.
Radiation may also be needed for tumors that are large or involve skin. You could only have one type of radiation, or different types of combination. Radiation therapy is a treatment of high-energy rays (such as x-rays) or particles that destroy cells of cancer. Breast cancer can be treated with two main types of radiation therapy:
If after surgery you need external radiation therapy, it usually does not start until your surgery site has healed, which is often one month or longer. Usually, radiation treatments are delayed until chemotherapy is complete if you receive chemotherapy as well.
The radiation team will carefully determine the correct angles for targeting the radiation beams and the correct dose of radiation before your treatment starts.To focus the radiation on the right area,they will make some ink marks or small tattoos on your skin. Check if the marks they use will be permanent with your health care team. External radiation therapy resembles an x-ray, but the radiation is stronger. The procedure is painless itself. Each treatment only lasts a few minutes, but the set-up time usually takes longer to get you in place for treatment.
Radiation may also be needed for tumors that are large or involve skin. You could only have one type of radiation, or different types of combination. Radiation therapy is a treatment of high-energy rays (such as x-rays) or particles that destroy cells of cancer. Breast cancer can be treated with two main types of radiation therapy:
- External beam radiation: This radiation type comes from outside the body of a machine.
- Internal radiation (brachytherapy): a radioactive source is placed within the body for a short period of time for this treatment.
If after surgery you need external radiation therapy, it usually does not start until your surgery site has healed, which is often one month or longer. Usually, radiation treatments are delayed until chemotherapy is complete if you receive chemotherapy as well.
The radiation team will carefully determine the correct angles for targeting the radiation beams and the correct dose of radiation before your treatment starts.To focus the radiation on the right area,they will make some ink marks or small tattoos on your skin. Check if the marks they use will be permanent with your health care team. External radiation therapy resembles an x-ray, but the radiation is stronger. The procedure is painless itself. Each treatment only lasts a few minutes, but the set-up time usually takes longer to get you in place for treatment.
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