Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, is often one component of treatment for gynecologic malignancies such as cervical, vaginal, and endometrial cancer.
How is radiotherapy used to treat gynecologic cancers?
Radiation therapy may be used in different ways to help treat gynecologic cancers. After surgery for a cervical cancer diagnosis, radiation therapy may be used for patients who have intermediate- or high-risk features, such as positive lymph nodes detected after surgery. Radiation may also be used for patients who are not surgical candidates.
How are gynecologic cancers treated?
How Are Gynecologic Cancers Treated? 1 Clinical Trials. Clinical trials use new treatment options to see if they are safe and effective. 2 Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine are medicines... 3 Choosing the treatment that is right for you may be hard.
What is radiation therapy for cancer?
Credit: National Cancer Institute 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.
How is radiation therapy used to treat cervical cancer?
After surgery for a cervical cancer diagnosis, radiation therapy may be used for patients who have intermediate- or high-risk features, such as positive lymph nodes detected after surgery. Radiation may also be used for patients who are not surgical candidates.
Which gynecologic malignancy is treated mainly by radiotherapy?
Radiotherapy is required up to 80–90% of women with carcinoma cervix, 60% of women with endometrial carcinoma, 50% of women with carcinoma vulva, all women with vaginal cancer and 5% of women with ovarian cancer. The aim of radiotherapy is to kill the tumour cells without damaging the neighbouring normal tissues.
What type of patients are treated by a radiation therapist?
External beam radiation therapy is used to treat many types of cancer. Brachytherapy is most often used to treat cancers of the head and neck, breast, cervix, prostate, and eye. A systemic radiation therapy called radioactive iodine, or I-131, is most often used to treat certain types of thyroid cancer.
Is radiation a treatment for ovarian cancer?
Radiation therapy is used to treat select cases of ovarian cancer. While most ovarian cancer patients are not treated with radiation therapy, it may be used for patients with certain types of ovarian cancer, those who have isolated and/or minimal recurrence, or to control symptoms such as pain.
What is the treatment for gynecological cancer?
Gynecologic cancer may be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. If your doctor says that you have a gynecologic cancer, ask to be referred to a gynecologic oncologist—a doctor who has been trained to treat cancers of a woman's reproductive system.
Why is radiation therapy used?
Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, but protons or other types of energy also can be used.
What diseases are treated with radiation?
Radiation therapy is used to treat many conditions, including:Acoustic neuroma. A non-cancerous tumor that may develop from an overproduction of Schwann cells that press on the hearing and balance nerves in the inner ear.Arteriovenous malformations. ... Bone cancer. ... Brain tumor. ... Breast cancer. ... Cancer. ... Chondrosarcoma. ... Chordoma.More items...
What is radiation therapy for cervical cancer?
Also known as radiotherapy, radiation therapy uses a controlled dose of radiation to kill or damage cancer cells. The radiation is usually in the form of x-ray beams. It is targeted at the parts of the body with cancer or areas the cancer cells might have spread to.
What is first line treatment for ovarian cancer?
Intensive surgical staging and cytoreduction, followed by primary chemotherapy are considered the gold standard of treatment in the first-line setting of advanced ovarian cancer. To date, the standard first-line chemotherapy consists of a taxane (paclitaxel 175 mg/m2) with the addition of carboplatin (AUC > 5).
What type of radiation is used for uterine cancer?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation (like x-rays) to kill cancer cells.
What are the gynecological cancers?
When cancer starts in a woman's reproductive organs, it is called gynecologic cancer. The five main types of gynecologic cancer are: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar. (A sixth type of gynecologic cancer is the very rare fallopian tube cancer.)
What is the most common treatment for cervical cancer?
Common treatment approaches For the earliest stages of cervical cancer, either surgery or radiation combined with chemo may be used. For later stages, radiation combined with chemo is usually the main treatment. Chemo (by itself) is often used to treat advanced cervical cancer.
What is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system?
Female Reproductive Cancers The most common ones are: Cervical cancer – cancer of the cervix, the lower end of the uterus that extends to the vagina. Ovarian cancer – cancer in the ovaries, the two organs that make female hormones and produce a woman's eggs.
What is radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy may be used in different ways to help treat gynecologic cancers. After surgery for a cervical cancer diagnosis, radiation therapy may be used for patients who have intermediate- or high-risk features, such as positive lymph nodes detected after surgery. Radiation may also be used for patients who are not surgical candidates.
What is 3D radiation?
Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy – For this technique, imaging scans are used to create a three-dimensional model of the exact shape and size of the tumor. Then multiple radiation beams are aimed at the tumor shape, sparing nearby healthy tissue.
Is radiation good for cervical cancer?
When used in concert with chemotherapy, radiation becomes more effective in treating cervical cancer. Radiation also may be used to manage localized vaginal and vulvar cancers. For most patients, a combination of internal and external radiation techniques may be the most effective.
What is the treatment for gynecologic cancer?
Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Women with a gynecologic cancer often get more than one kind of treatment. Surgery: Doctors remove cancer tissue in an operation. Chemotherapy: Using special medicines to shrink or kill the cancer.
What is a gynecologic oncologist?
Gynecologic oncologists are doctors who are trained to treat cancers of a woman’s reproductive system. Surgeons are doctors who perform operations. Medical oncologists are doctors who treat cancer with medicine. Radiation oncologists are doctors who treat cancer with radiation.
What is the treatment for cancer in the veins?
The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given in your veins, or sometimes both. Radiation: Using high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to kill the cancer. Different treatments may be provided by different doctors on your medical team. Gynecologic oncologists are doctors who are trained to treat cancers of a woman’s reproductive system.
What type of radiation therapy is used for gynecologic cancer?
Generally speaking there are two types of radiation therapy: external beam and brachytherapy (internal).
What is external beam radiation?
External beam radiation therapy is commonly used to treat vulvar cancer, often at the same time as chemotherapy. This is called chemoradiation. External beam radiation can also be used after surgery to be sure any left over cancer cells have been killed.
Can radiation therapy be used for ovarian cancer?
Radiation therapy is not always used for ovarian cancer patients as one of the primary treatments. It’s helpful, however, if the cancer has spread to another area of the body where external beam radiation can be used to shrink the tumor.
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.
When should radiation therapy be given?
Radiation therapy may be given before, during, or after these other treatments to improve the chances that treatment will work. The timing of when radiation therapy is given depends on the type of cancer being treated and whether the goal of radiation therapy is to treat the cancer or ease symptoms.
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.
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 the name of the treatment for gynecologic cancer?
INTERNAL RADIATION THERAPY (BRACHYTHERAPY) Sometimes radiation is placed inside the body to get the source of the radiation as close to the cancer as possible. This type of radiation therapy is called brachytherapy and is an important and commonly used treatment for gynecologic cancers. Other names for this type of treatment besides internal ...
What is the most common cancer treated with radiation?
Cancers of the uterus and cervix are the most common gynecologic cancers treated with radiation and account for 75,050 new cases each year. Widespread screening with the Pap test allows doctors to find pre-cancerous changes in the cervix and vagina early. TARGETING CANCER CARE.
What is a radiation oncologist?
Radiation oncologists are the doctors who oversee the care of patients undergoing radiation treatment. Other members of the treatment team include radiation therapists, radiation oncology nurses, medical physicists, dosimetrists, social workers and nutritionists.
What is HDR brachytherapy?
HDR brachytherapy allows your doctor to deliver a higher dose of radiation in a shorter period of time directly to the tumor. This type of treatment is most commonly used in the treatment of cervical cancer but can sometimes be used as another treatment option to external beam radiation for early-stage uterine cancer.
How to care for yourself during radiation therapy?
The healthy cells near your cancer receive some radiation, although not as much as the cancer. The healthy cells need time and support to heal. A balanced diet, plenty of water, some physical activity and rest are all important during cancer treatment.
What is the best treatment for uterine cancer?
A gynecologic oncologist is a doctor who specializes in surgery to treat gynecologic cancers. For uterine and cervical cancers, you may have a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and other reproductive organs).
How long does radiation therapy last?
Treatments are typically Monday through Friday, for up to five to six weeks. Before beginning treatment, you will have a planning session (CT simulation) to map out the treatment area.
What Should I Expect During Treatment?
Short-Term Side Effects
- The following list includes some of the most common side effects of radiation therapy for gynecologic cancers, including external beam or brachytherapy treatments. Remember that the treatments can affect each patient differently, and you may not experience these particular side effects. Talk with your radiation oncologist and health care team about...
Long-Term Side Effects
- The side effects discussed above tend to happen during treatment, up until a few months after treatment. Long-term effects can happen months to many years after cancer treatment. The risks vary depending on the areas included in the field of radiation and the radiation techniques that were used, as these continue to develop and improve. Some of the potential long-term side effe…