External Radiation Therapy Breast Cancer Side Effects

Learn more about possible side effects. Many people who get radiation therapy experience fatigue.

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External radiation or external beam radiation is the most common type of radiation therapy used for cancer treatment.

External radiation therapy breast cancer side effects. In this technique a large machine called a linear accelerator aims a beam of high energy radiation at the breast affected by the cancer. External beam radiation therapy comes from a machine that aims radiation at your cancerit is a local treatment which means it treats a specific part of your bodyfor example if you have cancer in your lung you will have radiation only to your chest not to your whole body. Healthy cells in the treatment area can also be damaged even though steps are taken to protect normal tissue as much as possible.

Your provider may be able to suggest a hospital social worker patient navigator psychologist or support group to help ease anxiety related to radiation therapy or breast cancer. Radiation therapy has side effects because it not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells it can also affect nearby healthy cells. Most radiation therapy is administered by a radiation oncologist at a radiation center and usually begins three to four weeks after surgery.

Different cells and tissues in the body tolerate radiation differently. Most often side effects from radiation therapy begin within a few weeks of starting treatment and go away. This 1 page printable pdf gives an introduction to radiation therapy including an overview of the different types of radiation what to expect during treatment possible side effects terms to know and questions to ask the health care team.

Other side effects depend on the part of the body that is being treated. Radiation therapy damages cancer cells. Find out about the side effects of external radiotherapy for breast cancer and how to cope with them.

Side effects of radiotherapy. Side effects are caused by damage to healthy cells. A machine is used to aim high energy rays or beams from outside the body into the tumor.

Download ascos free radiation therapy fact sheet. Radiation can be an effective treatment for breast cancer but it does have side effects. The effects can start after a couple of weeks of treatment.

Learn more about support groups. They continue to get worse during the treatment and after the treatment has finished. Doctors may recommend this therapy in combination with others such as surgery and chemotherapy.

Radiotherapy can cause side effects. External whole breast radiation sometimes called external beam whole breast radiation is the most common type of radiation. The radiation is used to destroy undetectable cancer cells and reduce the risk of cancer recurring in the affected breast.

Radiation Therapy National Breast Cancer Foundation
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