Breast Cancer Radiation

Breast cancer radiation therapy is a treatment that applies high energy x-rays to destruct cancer cells. Breast cancer radiation is a local treatment aimed at the breast and sometimes the surrounding lymph node area to destroy any isolated cells that may have been left behind to cut down the chance of a breast cancer recurrence. Radiation treatments are nomally given after a lumpectomy, or a mastectomy, but only if there is a high risk of a local recurrence.

Breast Cancer Radiation

Radiation breaks the DNA in cancer cells, so they cannot divide and multiply. The non-cancerous cells will survive radiation treatments. Patients who need systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy, may receive their radiation after chemotherapy is accomplished.

Breast Cancer Radiation

External Beam Radiation
The most common and standard type of breast cancer radiation treatment is the External Beam Radiation. Collimated beams of radiation is aimed from external of the body by a machine at the treatment area. Treatments will not begin only after the patient have healed from the breast surgery, or completed chemotherapy.

Accelerated Breast Irradiation
Accelerated Breast Irradiation treatments is used over a relatively short period of time for some patients. It is called Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI). This method of breast radiation appears to work similarly as the standard program.

Internal Breast Radiation - Brachytherapy
Internal breast radiation is performed after a lumpectomy, and only uses small seeds or pellets of radioactive material to render a dose of radiation from within the breast tissue. The dose of radiation is given directly to the tumor bed, and greatly reduces potential damage to healthy breast tissue nearby. The size and location of the tumor will determine whether or not a patient is suitable for brachytherapy.

Radiation During Breast Surgery
There is an experimental method of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) used during the breast surgery. IORT uses one large dose of radiation, applied directly into the tumor bed, after the tumor has been removed with a lumpectomy when the incision is still open. After the radiation, the incision is then closed, and no any further radiation therapy is needed. The surgical margins must be clear in order to be a suitable for this type of treatment.

The choice of breast cancer radiation treatments will be determined by several details of your diagnosis:

* Cancer stage
* Lymph node status
* Tumor size
* Type of surgery
* Surgical margins
* Location of tumor
* Location, and of extent of metastasis