Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses radioactive beams to kill cancer cells. The standard method, known as external beam, delivers high-energy X-rays, gamma rays, or particle beams painlessly to the site of the cancer. The type of beam used will depend on how large an area is to be radiated and how deeply the treatment must penetrate. Radiation therapy is generally given daily for five to seven weeks.

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A method called brachytherapy or internal beam therapy may be used to direct a high dose of radiation to a small area. The technique radiates the site using implanted small seeds or pellets of radioactive material. These seeds are placed in tubes that have been inserted into the breast tissue in a minor surgical procedure, either concurrently with the surgery to remove the tumor or at a later time. Generally, the seeds are placed in the tubes for a short time twice a day for about a week, though sometimes they are left in place for a period of days. Once the patient has received the prescribed radiation treatment, the tubes are taken out in a procedure that causes relatively little pain.

Radiation therapy can produce side effects that build up over time. They include fatigue, skin irritation, and darkening or shrinking of the breast. Less common side effects include rib fractures, lung inflammation, and damage to the nerves and heart. Very rarely, radiation may foster an additional tumor.