Radiation Therapy

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What is radiation therapy?

Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy waves to damage or destroy cancer cells. The waves stop cancer cells from growing and making more cancer cells by affecting the DNA inside of them. However, it can sometimes damage noncancerous cells. Radiation therapy targets an affected area with high-energy waves, often the location of a tumor or the place where a tumor was removed during surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
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This type of treatment is sometimes ideal because it allows doctors to only affect specific parts of your body, unlike other cancer treatments like chemotherapy that can affect cells in your entire body.

Types of radiation therapy:

There are two types of radiation therapy, and your doctor will consider many factors when deciding which is best for you, including:

  • cancer type
  • tumor size
  • location of cancer
  • the proximity of cancer to other tissues sensitive to radiation
  • your overall health and well-being
  • whether you’ll need other cancer treatment
  • age

External beam radiation therapy:

With external beam radiation therapy, a large machine sends radiation waves to the site of cancer from outside the body.

You can’t see the rays, and the apparatus doesn’t touch you but moves around you. The movement allows it to send the radiation from many different directions.

Doctors use this type of radiation as a local treatment to target a specific part of your body. For example, when used for breast cancer, the radiation is targeted only at your chest instead of your whole body.

Internal radiation therapy:

Internal radiation therapy is done in different ways. With brachytherapy, a doctor may implant a source of radiation into your body near the cancer site. The sources of radiation are often in the form of:

  • capsules
  • ribbons
  • seeds
  • balloons
  • wires
  • tubes
  • liquid

This process usually takes place inside an operating room in order to contain the radiation. Doctors and technicians typically use imaging tests to be sure the implant goes in the place it needs to.

How to prepare for radiation therapy:

A team of doctors, including a radiation oncologist Trusted Source and a doctor who treats cancer with radiation, will determine your proper course of treatment. The team will also assess the dose and radiation frequency best suited for your cancer type and stage.

Preparation for radiation therapy involves a radiation simulation. It typically includes the steps seen below.

Radiation simulation:

  • You’ll lie on the same type of table that will be used for your treatment.
  • Lying still at the proper angle is very important for treatment success, so your healthcare team may use cushions and restraints to position you for treatment.
  • You’ll then undergo CT scans or X-rays to determine the full extent of your cancer and where the radiation should be focused.
  • After determining the best location for radiation treatment, your treatment team will then mark the area with a very small tattoo. This tattoo is usually the size of a freckle. In certain cases, a permanent tattoo is not needed.
  • You’re now ready to begin radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy process:

Radiation therapy can take place during treatment sessions several days a week for multiple weeks. Often, the person is given each weekend off from therapy, which helps restore normal cells. Sometimes, radiation therapy can be given less often or as a one-time dose. For some IV radiation treatments, it may be given once every few months.

The total number of treatments depends on the size and type of cancer. At each session, you’ll lie on the treatment table, and your team will position you and apply the same types of cushions and restraints used during your initial radiation simulation. Protective coverings or shields may also be positioned on or around you to protect other body parts from unnecessary radiation.

Radiation therapy uses a linear accelerator machine, which directs radiation at the appropriate spot. The machine may move around the table in order to direct the radiation at the appropriate angles. The machine may also make a buzzing sound.

You should feel no pain during the session. You’ll also be able to communicate with your team via the room’s intercom, if necessary. Your doctors will be nearby in an adjacent room, monitoring the session.

What are the benefits of radiation therapy?

Radiation therapy is an essential tool for treating cancer and is often used with other therapies, such as chemotherapy or tumor removal surgery. The main goals of radiation therapy are to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells.There are many reasons why doctors may choose to treat cancer with radiation. They use it to:

  • destroy all cancer cells
  • shrink the tumor
  • stop cancer from coming back
  • treat cancer symptoms