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Radiotherapy is one of the medical procedures that can be applied in the treatment of breast cancer. The need for it will depend, however, on factors such as the type of surgery and whether the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes or another part of the body.
It is a treatment with high-energy rays (like X-rays) or particles that destroy cancer cells. We currently have two main types of radiation therapy that can be used for breast cancer:
- External Beam Radiation: This type of radiation comes from a machine outside the body;
- Internal radiation (brachytherapy): Here, a radioactive source is placed inside the body for a short period of time.
Radiotherapy side effects
Among the main short-term side effects, external radiation therapy can cause chest swelling, skin changes similar to a sunburn, and fatigue. During radiotherapy treatment, it is important to avoid exposing the treated skin to the sun and most skin changes improve within a few months. Changes in breast tissue can take 6 to 12 months to disappear – in some cases, this time can be a little longer.
Original article published at: https://mulherconsciente.com.br/cancer-de-mama/tratamentos-para-cancer-de-mama/#tratamento-por-estagio, accessed on August 2022.
References:
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines for Patients: Breast Cancer. Available at https://www.nccn.org/patientresources/patient-resources/guidelines-for-patients#category_1, accessed on August 2022.
- Treatment Option Overview. National Cancer Institute (NCI). Available at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/breast/Patient/page5, accessed on August 2022.