Radiation Options

Radiation therapy involves the use of high-energy x-rays (invisible to the human eye) that are directed to the breast to help prevent local cancer recurrence after a tumor has been removed. The radiation is delivered from the outside and is confined to the breast and sometimes the nearby lymph node region. It is not a treatment that is given to the whole body-it is a form of local treatment unlike chemotherapy which has more general/systemic effects.

A patient receives radiation treatment.

Patients usually receive this form of treatment once or twice a day for several days or weeks depending upon the method of radiation that is being used.  Common side effects include skin reaction (similar to changes in the skin that occur with a sunburn); arm pain and numbness (lack of feeling under the arm); breast swelling and firmness; and fatigue.

Whole breast irradiation is most commonly used in individual’s treatment with lumpectomy.  It is also used in patients who have undergone mastectomy if the person’s tumor was large or if lymph nodes were found to have breast cancer spread to them. This type of radiation is typically given Monday through Friday for several weeks and each treatment lasts for about 15 minutes.

Partial breast irradiation is a newer, investigational approach in breast cancer management.  Radiation is only delivered to the area of the lumpectomy cavity which is known to be the area of highest risk for tumor recurrence while sparing the radiation to the remainder of the breast.  Currently, this kind of radiation is reserved for use for small breast tumors that have not spread to the regional lymph glands.  This type of treatment is usually given via some type of catheter system to be certain that is being delivered only to the high risk area of the breast and is given usually over two separate times each day for about five days.