What is radiation therapy and how is it used to treat cancer?
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors . At low doses, radiation is used in x-rays to see inside your body, as with x-rays of your teeth or broken bones. At high doses, radiation therapy kills cancer cells or slows their growth by damaging their DNA.
How does radiation both treat and cause cancer?
The type of radiation therapy that you may have depends on many factors, including:
- the type of cancer
- the size of the tumor
- the tumor’s location in the body
- how close the tumor is to normal tissues that are sensitive to radiation
- your general health and medical history
- whether you will have other types of cancer treatment
- other factors, such as your age and other medical conditions
What are the long term effects of radiation treatment?
- your skin might look darker than it was before in the treated area – as if it is suntanned
- your skin in the treatment area will always be slightly more sensitive to the sun
- your skin might feel different to touch
- your hair might grow back a different colour or texture in the treatment area
- you might have permanent hair loss within the treated area
What is the success rate for radiation on cancer?
The success rate of Radiation therapy has been quite impressive. People generally opt for Radiation therapy following the usual surgery to get rid of the breast cancer from the roots. The overall success rate of Radiation therapy is between 80% to 85%.
How is cancer radiation delivered?
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy radiation to damage cancer cells' DNA and destroy their ability to divide and grow. It may be delivered using machines called linear accelerators or via radioactive sources placed inside the patient on a temporary or permanent basis.
How do doctors perform radiation on cancer patients?
During external beam radiation therapy, you're positioned on a table and a large machine moves around you sending beams of radiation into precise points in your body. External beam radiation therapy is usually conducted using a linear accelerator — a machine that directs high-energy beams of radiation into your body.
Is radiation therapy painful?
Does radiation therapy hurt? No, radiation therapy does not hurt while it is being given. But the side effects that people may get from radiation therapy can cause pain and discomfort. This booklet has a lot of information about ways that you and your doctor and nurse can help manage side effects.
Do you need a port for radiation treatment?
Radiation is energy directed through a beam and does not require port access. A port film is a term used to describe a precise location using x-ray guidance to deliver radiation.
Is radiation worse than chemo?
The radiation beams change the DNA makeup of the tumor, causing it to shrink or die. This type of cancer treatment has fewer side effects than chemotherapy since it only targets one area of the body.
Can I drive myself to radiation treatments?
Unless you feel ill, you can typically drive yourself to treatment. In fact, many patients are able to work full-time during their treatment.
What can you not do during radiation treatment?
Avoid raw vegetables and fruits, and other hard, dry foods such as chips or pretzels. It's also best to avoid salty, spicy or acidic foods if you are experiencing these symptoms. Your care team can recommend nutrient-based oral care solutions if you are experiencing mucositis or mouth sores caused by cancer treatment.
What can I expect after my first radiation treatment?
The most common early side effects are fatigue (feeling tired) and skin changes. Other early side effects usually are related to the area being treated, such as hair loss and mouth problems when radiation treatment is given to this area. Late side effects can take months or even years to develop.
What Is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, or protons, to destroy or damage cancer cells.Yo...
Who Gets Radiation Therapy?
More than half of people with cancer get radiation therapy. Sometimes, radiation therapy is the only cancer treatment needed.
What Are The Goals of Radiation Therapy?
Most types of radiation therapy don’t reach all parts of the body, which means they’re not helpful in treating cancer that has spread to many place...
How Is Radiation Therapy given?
Radiation therapy can be given in 3 ways: 1. External radiation (or external beam radiation): uses a machine that directs high-energy rays from out...
Who Gives Radiation Therapy Treatments?
During your radiation therapy, a team of highly trained medical professionals will care for you. Your team may include these people: 1. Radiation o...
Does Radiation Therapy Cause Cancer?
It has long been known that radiation therapy can slightly raise the risk of getting another cancer. It’s one of the possible side effects of treat...
Does Radiation Therapy Affect Pregnancy Or Fertility?
Women: It’s important not to become pregnant while getting radiation – it can harm the growing baby. If there’s a chance you might become pregnant,...
Questions to Ask About Radiation Therapy
Before treatment, you’ll be asked to sign a consent form saying that your doctor has explained how radiation therapy may help, the possible risks,...
Will I Be Radioactive During Or After External Radiation Treatment?
External radiation therapy affects cells in your body only for a moment. Because there’s no radiation source in your body, you are not radioactive...
How does radiation help cancer?
When radiation is combined with surgery, it can be given: 1 Before surgery, to shrink the size of the cancer so it can be removed by surgery and be less likely to return. 2 During surgery, so that it goes straight to the cancer without passing through the skin. Radiation therapy used this way is called intraoperative radiation. With this technique, doctors can more easily protect nearby normal tissues from radiation. 3 After surgery to kill any cancer cells that remain.
Why do people with cancer need radiation?
Why People with Cancer Receive Radiation Therapy. Radiation therapy is used to treat cancer and ease cancer symptoms . When used to treat cancer, radiation therapy can cure cancer, prevent it from returning, or stop or slow its growth. When treatments are used to ease symptoms, they are known as palliative treatments.
What is intraoperative radiation therapy?
During surgery, so that it goes straight to the cancer without passing through the skin. Radiation therapy used this way is called intraoperative radiation.
What is brachytherapy with liquid source?
Learn more about brachytherapy. Internal radiation therapy with a liquid source is called systemic therapy. Systemic means that the treatment travels in the blood to tissues throughout your body, seeking out and killing cancer cells.
What is the best radiation treatment for thyroid cancer?
A systemic radiation therapy called radioactive iodine, or I-131, is most often used to treat certain types of thyroid cancer.
What is the treatment for cancer that has spread to the bone called?
Pain from cancer that has spread to the bone can be treated with systemic radiation therapy drugs called radiopharmaceuticals.
What is external beam radiation therapy?
External Beam Radiation Therapy. External beam radiation therapy comes from a machine that aims radiation at your cancer. The machine is large and may be noisy. It does not touch you, but can move around you, sending radiation to a part of your body from many directions.
How does radiation therapy work?
Radiation therapy may be delivered externally or internally. External radiation delivers high-energy rays directly to the cancer from a machine outside the body. Internal radiation, or brachytherapy, is the implantation of a small amount of radioactive material (seeds) in or near the cancer.
What is the difference between radiation and brachytherapy?
Internal radiation, or brachytherapy, is the implantation of a small amount of radioactive material (seeds) in or near the cancer. Radiation can also be delivered as an isotope into a vein, as in the use of radioactive iodine for the treatment ...
What is iort in surgery?
Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) refers to radiation therapy that is administered directly to the area of the cancer during surgery. Potential benefits of IORT include increased doses of radiation delivered to the cancer and reduced exposure of normal tissue ...
How does EBRT work?
EBRT is given via machines called linear accelerators, which produce high-energy external radiation beams that penetrate the tissues and deliver the radiation dose deep in the areas where the cancer resides . These modern machines and other state-of-the-art techniques have enabled radiation oncologists to significantly reduce side effects ...
How long does it take to get EBRT after a lumpectomy?
Traditional EBRT following a lumpectomy consists of five to six weeks of radiation treatment, five days per week. With breast brachytherapy, a site-specific, prescribed dose of radiation is administered during a five-day course of therapy.
What is breast brachytherapy?
Breast Brachytherapy. Breast brachytherapy is an alternative to traditional EBRT for women who choose breast conservation rather than a mastectomy. Breast conservation therapy involves removing the tumor in a procedure called a lumpectomy, and is followed by radiation therapy to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
What is IGRT in radiation?
IGRT is a new approach to delivering radiation therapy that allows for more accurate delivery of radiation to the target tissue. IGRT involves imaging during the course of radiation treatment. A computer compares images taken at the time of treatment to images taken during the planning phase. Through this process, IGRT is able to account for changes in the patient’s body or position that may shift the exact location of the cancer. This allows increased accuracy of very complex treatment approaches. It also provides documentation of the degree of accuracy. IGRT is used in conjunction with EBRT, 3D-CRT or IMRT.
What is intraoperative radiation therapy?
Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) refers to radiation therapy that is administered directly to the area of the cancer during surgery. Potential benefits of IORT include increased doses of radiation delivered to the cancer and reduced exposure of normal tissue (normal tissue can be moved or shielded during the procedure). IORT has been used in the treatment of several types of cancer, and may be particularly useful for localized cancers that are difficult to remove completely or that have a high risk of local recurrence (recurrence near the original cancer site).
How is EBRT delivered?
EBRT can be delivered more precisely by using a special computed tomography (CT) scan and a targeting computer. This capability is known as three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, or 3D-CRT. The use of 3D-CRT appears to reduce the chance of injury to nearby body structures. Since 3D-CRT can better target the area of cancer, radiation oncologists are evaluating whether higher doses of radiation can be given safely and with greater cancer cures.
How does EBRT work?
EBRT is given via machines called linear accelerators, which produce high-energy external radiation beams that penetrate the tissues and deliver the radiation dose deep in the areas where the cancer resides. These modern machines and other state-of-the-art techniques have enabled radiation oncologists to significantly reduce side effects while improving the ability to deliver radiation.
What is IGRT in radiation?
IGRT is a new approach to delivering radiation therapy that allows for more accurate delivery of radiation to the target tissue. IGRT involves imaging during the course of radiation treatment. A computer compares images taken at the time of treatment to images taken during the planning phase. Through this process, IGRT is able to account for changes in the patient?s body or position that may shift the exact location of the cancer. This allows increased accuracy of very complex treatment approaches. It also provides documentation of the degree of accuracy. IGRT is used in conjunction with EBRT, 3D-CRT or IMRT.
Is radiation delivered externally?
Radiation therapy may be delivered externally or internally. External radiation delivers high-energy rays directly to the cancer from a machine outside the body. Internal radiation, or brachytherapy, is the implantation of a small amount of radioactive material (seeds) in or near the cancer. Radiation can also be delivered as an isotope into a vein, as in the use of radioactive iodine for the treatment of thyroid cancer.
What is radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy refers to the use of targeted radiation in the form of X-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, proton beams or radioactive substances to damage the DNA of rapidly dividing cancer cells, preventing them from growing and ultimately causing them to die. Radiation can shrink existing tumors and halt the spread of cancer. Normal cells affected by the radiation are typically better able to recover and survive.
What is the treatment for cancer?
Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy) delivers radiation by means of an implant surgically placed within cancerous tissue or surrounding tissue or in a body cavity, such as the uterus. Implants can be either permanent or temporary. Permanent implants may resemble very small steel rods or pellets, while temporary implants can take the form of needles or catheters. This type of therapy is most often used to treat head and neck cancers, breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer and eye cancer.
Does radiation cause cancer?
Radiation therapy may increase your risk of developing cancer again because radiation damages the DNA of normal cells. However, the immediate benefits often outweigh the potential harms, so this possibility should not deter you from beginning radiation therapy if your doctor recommends it.
How is radiation delivered to cancer?
External beam radiation therapies are delivered through a specialized machine directly to the cancer site. These include the following types of radiation therapy: Proton therapy uses a beam of protons to deliver radiation directly to the tumor. A proton beam conforms to the shape and depth of a tumor while sparing healthy tissues and organs.
What is internal radiation?
Internal radiation therapies use a radioactive source in or near the cancer site. Three common types of internal radiation therapy include: Brachytherapy involves radioactive material that is implanted in the body. Dozens of tiny “seeds” containing radioactive iodine are placed at the tumor site with a special needle or catheter.
What is IGRT in cancer?
Several cancer types have seen improved outcomes from this including brain cancer, head and neck cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer. Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) tracks the tumor or implanted markers during radiation. This type of radiation treats tumors in areas of the body that move.
What are the different types of radiation therapy?
Three common types of internal radiation therapy include: 1 Brachytherapy involves radioactive material that is implanted in the body. Dozens of tiny “seeds” containing radioactive iodine are placed at the tumor site with a special needle or catheter. This is done as an outpatient procedure. Brachytherapy is used for treatment of prostate, cervical, endometrial, vaginal and breast cancers. 2 Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is used to treat an exposed tumor during cancer surgery. IORT delivers a high dose of radiation to a surgically exposed treatment area. Surrounding healthy organs and tissues are protected by lead shields. This type of radiation can be used for certain gastrointestinal cancers and other cancers that are challenging to remove during surgery. 3 Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is not actually surgery. Instead, it uses dozens of tiny radiation beams to treat tumors in the head and neck with a single radiation dose. MD Anderson uses the Gamma Knife® SRS system. Gamma Knife is used to treat cancer that has spread to the brain or head or neck area, as well as tumors in the base of the skull, malignant gliomas, acoustic neuromas, pituitary tumors and meningiomas.
What is brachytherapy used for?
Brachytherapy is used for treatment of prostate, cervical, endometrial, vaginal and breast cancers. Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is used to treat an exposed tumor during cancer surgery. IORT delivers a high dose of radiation to a surgically exposed treatment area. Surrounding healthy organs and tissues are protected by lead shields.
What causes cancer cells to stop multiplying?
Radiation damage s the cancer cells causing them to stop multiplying. We asked radiation oncologist Valerie Reed, M.D ., to explain some of the most common types of radiation therapy and how they are used. Here’s what she shared. Some types of radiation therapies are used to treat cancers near sensitive organs.
How does 3D radiation work?
These can be used to treat many types of cancer: 3D conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) uses three-dimensional scans to determine the exact shape and size of the tumor. Radiation beams are shaped by tiny metal leaves arranged to fit the tumor. This minimizes the side effects to healthy tissues. Several cancer types have seen improved outcomes ...
What is post operative radiation?
Post-operative treatment — When used as a supplement to surgical removal of a cancer, low-dose radiation is directed at the tumor bed and excision site to treat any potential microscopic remains of the cancer. This is also called “adjuvant therapy,” and ...
Can radiation therapy be used for cancer?
Palliation — If a cancer has progressed too far or if comorbidities preclude remission or other treatments, radiation therapy can be used to reduce tumors in order to relieve pain or improve quality of life. This can be an option for some brain or bone cancers.
How early can a fetus be exposed to radiation?
Fetuses are particularly sensitive to radiation during their early development, between weeks 2 and 18 of pregnancy. The health effects to the fetus can be severe, ...
Why is a developing fetus highly susceptible to radiation exposure?
A developing fetus is highly susceptible to health effects from radiation exposure because of the rapid rate of cell division. Prenatal radiation exposure occurs when the mother’s abdomen is exposed to radiation from outside her body.
What are the effects of radiation on a fetus?
Fetuses are particularly sensitive to radiation during their early development, between weeks 2 and 18 of pregnancy.#N#The health effects to the fetus can be severe, even at radiation doses too low to make the mother sick.#N#These can include stunted growth, deformities, abnormal brain function, or cancer that may develop sometime later in life. 1 The health effects to the fetus can be severe, even at radiation doses too low to make the mother sick. 2 These can include stunted growth, deformities, abnormal brain function, or cancer that may develop sometime later in life.
Where does radioactive material pass through the umbilical cord?
From the mother’s blood, radioactive materials may pass through the umbilical cord to the fetus or concentrate in areas of the mother’s body near the womb (such as the urinary bladder) and expose the fetus to radiation.
When are fetuses less sensitive to radiation?
Fetuses are less sensitive to radiation during later stages of pregnancy (after 18 weeks). Since the fetus is shielded by the mother’s abdomen, it is partially protected in the womb from radioactive sources outside the mother’s body.
Can radiation make a woman sick?
The health effects to the fetus can be severe, even at radiation doses too low to make the mother sick. These can include stunted growth, deformities, abnormal brain function, or cancer that may develop sometime later in life. Women have an increased risk of fetal miscarriage.
Can radiation cause cancer?
Cancer. People who receive high doses of radiation could have a greater risk of developing cancer later in life, depending on the radiation exposure. Health officials will monitor people affected by radiation emergencies for long-term health effects, including cancer.
How does cancer spread?
Cancer can spread from where it started to other body parts. Doctors often assume thata few cancer cells might already have spread even when they can’t be seen on imagingscans like CT scans or MRIs. In some cases, the area where the cancer most oftenspreads to may be treated with radiation to kill any cancer cells before they grow intotumors. For instance, people with certain kinds of lung cancer may get radiation to thehead, even when there is no cancer known to be there, because their type of lungcancer often spreads to the brain. This is done to help prevent cancer from spreading tothe head even before it can. Sometimes, radiation to prevent future cancer can be givenat the same time that radiation is given to treat existing cancer, especially if the area thecancer might spread to is close to the tumor itself.
What to ask before radiation treatment?
Before treatment, you’ll be asked to sign a consent form saying that your doctor hasexplained how radiation therapy may help, the possible risks, the type of radiation to beused, and your other treatment options. Before signing the consent form, be sure thatyou have had a chance to get all your questions answered. Here are some of the thingsyou may want to ask about:
What happens if cancer returns?
If a person's cancer has returned (recurred), radiation might be used to treat the canceror to treat symptoms caused by advanced cancer.W hether radiation will be used afterrecurrence depends on many factors.For instance, if the cancer has come back in apart of the body that has already been treated with radiation, it might not be possible togive more radiation in the same place. It depends on the amount of radiation that wasused before.In other instances, radiation might be used in the same area of the body or
Can cancer be cured?
Sometimes cancer has spread too much to be cured. But some of these tumors can stillbe treated to make them smaller so that the person can feel better. Radiation might helprelieve problems like pain, trouble swallowing or breathing, or bowel blockages that canbe caused by advanced cancer3. This is called palliative radiation.
