Is radiation an effective cancer treatment?
What is the advantages of radiation?
What are the pros and cons of radiation treatment?
- Advantages. lowers risk of local recurrence and distant metastases.
- Disadvantages. possibly obscures the extent of the tumor due to shrinkage and destruction of the margins of the tumor; this may impact the effectiveness of surgery. delay of surgery may cause anxiety in some patients.
Why do doctors recommend radiation?
What is the success rate of radiotherapy?
Do the benefits of radiotherapy outweigh the risks?
Which is better chemo or radiation?
Does radiation shrink tumors immediately?
Do tumors grow back after radiation?
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...
Can radiation therapy be used for cancer?
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 places within the body. Still, radiation therapy can be used to treat many types of cancer either alone or in combination with other treatments. While it's important to remember each cancer ...
What is the purpose of radiation treatment?
If a person's cancer has returned (recurred), radiation might be used to treat the cancer or to treat symptoms caused by advanced cancer. Whether radiation will be used after recurrence depends on many factors. For instance, if the cancer has come back in a part of the body that has already been treated with radiation, it might not be possible to give more radiation in the same place. It depends on the amount of radiation that was used before. In other instances, radiation might be used in the same area of the body or a different area. Some tumors do not respond as well to radiation, so radiation might not be used even if they recur.
How is radiation 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 outside the body into the tumor. It’s done during outpatient visits to a hospital or treatment center. It's usually given over many weeks and sometimes will be given twice a day for several weeks. A person receiving external radiation is not radioactive and does not have to follow special safety precautions at home. 2 Internal radiation: Internal radiation is also called brachytherapy. A radioactive source is put inside the body into or near the tumor. With some types of brachytherapy, radiation might be placed and left in the body to work. Sometimes it is placed in the body for a period of time and then removed. This is decided based on the type of cancer. Special safety precautions are needed for this type of radiation for a period of time. But it's important to know if the internal radiation is left in the body, after a while it eventually is no longer radioactive. 3 Systemic radiation: Radioactive drugs given by mouth or put into a vein are used to treat certain types of cancer. These drugs then travel throughout the body. You might have to follow special precautions at home for a period of time after these drugs are given.
What is the best treatment for cancer?
Radiation may be used by itself in these cases to make the cancer shrink or completely go away. In some cases, chemotherapy or other anti-cancer drugs may be given first. For other cancers, radiation may be used before surgery to shrink the tumor ...
Can cancer be cured?
Sometimes cancer has spread too much to be cured. But some of these tumors can still be treated to make them smaller so that the person can feel better. Radiation might help relieve problems like pain, trouble swallowing or breathing, or bowel blockages that can be caused by advanced cancer. This is called palliative radiation.
Is radiation therapy a local treatment?
While chemotherapy and other treatments that are taken by mouth or injection usually expose the whole body to cancer-fighting drugs, radiation therapy is usually a local treatment. This means it’s usually aimed at and affects only the part of the body needing treatment.
Can radiation be used before surgery?
For other cancers, radiation may be used before surgery to shrink the tumor (this is called pre-operative therapy or neoadjuvant therapy ), or after surgery to help keep the cancer from coming back (called adjuvant therapy ). For certain cancers that can be cured either by radiation or by surgery, radiation may be the preferred treatment.
Can radiation therapy be used for cancer?
How radiation therapy is used in people with cancer. Your doctor may suggest radiation therapy as an option at different times during your cancer treatment and for different reasons, including: As the only (primary) treatment for cancer. Before surgery, to shrink a cancerous tumor (neoadjuvant therapy) After surgery, to stop the growth of any ...
What is radiation therapy?
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. The term "radiation therapy" most often refers to external beam radiation therapy. During this type of radiation, ...
What is the treatment for cancer?
Radiation therapy. External beam radiation uses high-powered beams of energy to kill cancer cells. Beams of radiation are precisely aimed at the cancer using a machine that moves around your body. 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 ...
What is external beam radiation?
External beam radiation uses high-powered beams of energy to kill cancer cells. Beams of radiation are precisely aimed at the cancer using a machine that moves around your body. 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, ...
What type of radiation is used in X-rays?
The term "radiation therapy" most often refers to external beam radiation therapy. During this type of radiation, the high-energy beams come from a machine outside of your body that aims the beams at a precise point on your body.
How does radiation damage cells?
Radiation therapy damages cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide. While both healthy and cancerous cells are damaged by radiation therapy, the goal of radiation therapy is to destroy as few normal, healthy cells as possible.
What is radiation simulation?
During simulation, your radiation therapy team works with you to find a comfortable position for you during treatment. It's imperative that you lie still during treatment, so finding a comfortable position is vital.
Does radiation help with cancer?
Radiation therapy leads to cancer cure in many patients (either alone or with other treatments) and relieves symptoms or prolongs survival in more advanced cancers. There are proven roles for nearly all cancer types. Radiation therapy is a highly targeted treatment accurately controlling the cancer wherever it might be in the body.
What is radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy is a highly targeted treatment accurately controlling the cancer wherever it might be in the body. This allows the cancer cells to be killed or reduced in number whilst protecting the majority of other organs and tissues in the body.
Is radiation therapy a curative treatment?
In some cancers (for example ( prostate, head and neck, bladder, lung, cervix and skin cancers ), radiation therapy, with or without drug therapy, can be used as the main curative treatment and in this way avoids the risks of surgery and the removal of organs.
How long does radiation therapy last?
Although radiation therapy centres are expensive to set up, a typical treatment machine (linear accelerator) can treat more than 30 patients each day for up to 10 years. For many common cancers, such as breast cancer, bowel cancer, uterine cancer, skin cancers and prostate cancer, radiation therapy is highly effective in reducing the risk ...
Is radiation therapy effective for cancer?
For some cancers, radiation therapy alone is an effective treatment. Other types of cancer respond best to combination treatments, which is using more than 1 treatment for a patient's treatment plan. For instance, this may include radiation therapy plus surgery, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.
What is the treatment for cancer called?
Sometimes, doctors recommend radiation therapy as the first cancer treatment. Other times, people receive radiation therapy after surgery or therapies using medication, like chemotherapy. This is called adjuvant therapy. It targets cancer cells remaining after the initial treatment.
How to avoid radiation?
Similarly, people who have had systemic radiation therapy should use safety precautions. For the first few days after treatment, take these safety measures: 1 Wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet. 2 Use separate utensils and towels. 3 Drink plenty of fluids to flush the remaining radioactive material from the body. 4 Avoid sexual contact. 5 Try to avoid contact with infants, children, and pregnant women
What is palliative radiation therapy?
This is called palliative radiation therapy. Palliative radiation therapy may reduce pressure, pain, and other symptoms. The goal is to improve a person’s quality of life. More than half of people with cancer receive some type of radiation therapy. For some cancers, radiation therapy alone is an effective treatment.
What is external beam radiation?
External-beam radiation therapy is the most common type of radiation therapy. It delivers radiation from a machine outside the body. It can treat large areas of the body, if needed. A machine called a linear accelerator, or linac, creates the radiation beam for x-ray or photon radiation therapy.
What is a linear accelerator?
It can treat large areas of the body, if needed. A machine called a linear accelerator, or linac, creates the radiation beam for x-ray or photon radiation therapy. Special computer software adjusts the beam’s size and shape. This helps target the tumor while avoiding healthy tissue near the cancer cells.
What is the protons used for?
At high energy, protons can destroy cancer cells. The protons go to the targeted tumor and deposit the specific dose of radiation therapy. Unlike with x-ray beams, there is very little radiation dose beyond the tumor.
Radiation Therapy Basics
Learn the basics about what radiation therapy is and how it's used to treat cancer.
Getting Radiation Therapy
Find out what it's like to get radiation therapy and how to manage side effects.
Common Concerns
Get information about common concerns people have when getting radiation therapy.
How does radiation therapy work?
Radiation therapy involves giving high doses of radiation beams directly into a tumor. 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.
What is the best treatment for cancer?
However, there are many treatment options that work to fight off cancer cells and prevent them from spreading. Chemotherapy and radiation are among the most effective treatments for most types of cancer. Although they have the same goals, there are key differences between the two types ...
Can chemotherapy and radiation be used together?
Chemo and radiation are sometimes used together to treat certain types of cancers. This is called concurrent therapy. This may be recommended if your cancer: cannot be removed with surgery. is likely to spread to other areas of your body. isn’t responding to one particular type of treatment.
What is the difference between radiation and chemo?
The major difference between chemo and radiation is the way they’re delivered. Chemotherapy is delivered through an infusion into a vein or medication port , or it can be taken orally . With radiation therapy, beams of radiation are focused on a specific area in your body.
How is chemotherapy given?
Chemotherapy is a medication given to treat cancer that’s designed to kill cancer cells. It’s usually taken by mouth or given through an infusion into a vein or medication port. There are many different types of chemotherapy drugs.
How does chemo work?
How chemotherapy works. Chemotherapy medications are designed to destroy cells in the body that divide rapidly — specifically, cancer cells. However, there are cells in other parts of your body that also divide rapidly but aren’t cancer cells. Examples include the cells in your:
Can chemotherapy kill cancer cells?
Chemotherapy can unintentionally target and destroy these cells, too. This can cause a number of different side effects. Your oncologist (cancer doctor) will be able to determine what kind of chemotherapy medications will be most effective at treating the type of cancer you have.
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
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:
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.
How does radiation kill prostate cancer?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. Depending on the stage of the prostate cancer and other factors, radiation therapy might be used: 1 As the first treatment for cancer that is still just in the prostate gland and is low grade. Cure rates for men with these types of cancers are about the same as those for men treated with radical prostatectomy. 2 As part of the first treatment (along with hormone therapy) for cancers that have grown outside the prostate gland and into nearby tissues. 3 If the cancer is not removed completely or comes back (recurs) in the area of the prostate after surgery. 4 If the cancer is advanced, to help keep the cancer under control for as long as possible and to help prevent or relieve symptoms.
How long does radiation treatment last?
You will usually go for treatment 5 days a week in an outpatient center for at least several weeks, depending on why the radiation is being given. Each treatment is much like getting an x-ray. The radiation is stronger than that used for an x-ray, but the procedure typically is painless.
What is the best treatment for prostate cancer?
Brachytherapy (internal radiation therapy) 1 Brachytherapy alone is generally used only in men with early-stage prostate cancer that is relatively slow growing (low-grade). 2 Brachytherapy combined with external radiation is sometimes an option for men who have a higher risk of the cancer growing outside the prostate.
Can prostate cancer come back after surgery?
If the cancer is not removed completely or comes back ( recurs) in the area of the prostate after surgery. If the cancer is advanced, to help keep the cancer under control for as long as possible ...
What is IGRT prostate?
Some newer radiation machines have imaging scanners built into them. This advance, known as image guided radiation therapy (IGRT), lets the doctor take pictures of the prostate just before giving the radiation to make minor adjustments in aiming.
Can brachytherapy be used for prostate cancer?
Brachytherapy alone is generally used only in men with early-stage prostate cancer that is relatively slow growing (low-grade). Brachytherapy combined with external radiation is sometimes an option for men who have a higher risk of the cancer growing outside the prostate.
What is external beam radiation?
External beam radiation. Brachytherapy (internal radiation) (Another type of radiation therapy, in which a medicine containing radiation is injected into the body, is described in Treating Prostate Cancer Spread to the Bone .)
Overview
Why It's Done
- More than half of all people with cancer receive radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment. Doctors use radiation therapy to treat just about every type of cancer. Radiation therapy is also useful in treating some noncancerous (benign) tumors.
Risks
- Radiation therapy side effects depend on which part of your body is being exposed to radiation and how much radiation is used. You may experience no side effects, or you may experience several. Most side effects are temporary, can be controlled and generally disappear over time once treatment has ended. Some side effects may develop later. For example, in rare circumsta…
How You Prepare
- Before you undergo external beam radiation therapy, your health care team guides you through a planning process to ensure that radiation reaches the precise spot in your body where it's needed. Planning typically includes: 1. Radiation simulation.During simulation, your radiation therapy team works with you to find a comfortable position for you during treatment. It's imperative that you li…
What You Can Expect
- External beam radiation therapy is usually conducted using a linear accelerator — a machine that directs high-energy beams of radiation into your body. As you lie on a table, the linear accelerator moves around you to deliver radiation from several angles. The linear accelerator can be adjusted for your particular situation so that it delivers the precise dose of radiation your doctor has order…
Results
- If you're receiving radiation to a tumor, your doctor may have you undergo periodic scans after your treatment to see how your cancer has responded to radiation therapy. In some cases, your cancer may respond to treatment right away. In other cases, it may take weeks or months for your cancer to respond. Some people aren't helped by radiation therapy.
Clinical Trials
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiesof tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.