By: Trevor Price

Radiation - breast cancer survivors know it well, and those recently diagnosed with the disease may be fearing it. To learn more about radiation therapy, how it works, when it's used and common side effects, keep reading.

About Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy works by using high-energy, high-dose rays that either kill cancer cells completely or stop them from dividing and spreading. Because cancer cells grow and divide quickly, they're more susceptible to radiation treatments than healthy cells.

At What Stages Radiation is Considered

Radiation can be used to treat almost any stage of breast cancer. It's most often used as the primary treatment in stage one and stage two breast cancer, but in conjunction with surgery or after a mastectomy.

Radiation: After Lumpectomy Surgery for Breast Cancer Treatment

A lumpectomy is a surgical process where a cancerous lump or small tumor is removed from the breast. After this procedure, most practitioners prescribe radiation treatment to prevent an in-breast recurrence or relapse.

The risk for in-breast recurrence hovers at around 30 percent if radiation therapy is not given to the patient after a lumpectomy. Yet, if the patient receives radiation therapy, that risk is reduced to a fraction (between 5 and 10 percent).

Radiation after a lumpectomy may not be appropriate if the patient is pregnant, has a connective tissue disease like lupus or has had previous radiation to the affected area.

Post-Mastectomy Radiation Therapy

After a full mastectomy, some doctors may still recommend radiation therapy to prevent the cancer from recurring on the chest wall. You are considered at risk for recurrence if your underarm lymph nodes test positive for cancer, you had a tumor that was larger than 5 centimeters in diameter or the cancer was dangerously close to the chest wall when it was removed.

If a patient has a very small amount of lymph nodes that test positive for cancer cells, many practitioners argue over the value of radiation therapy at all. While breast cancer survival rates may be higher, many patients suffer from other issues like heart or coronary problems caused by the radiation.

Side Effects of Radiation

Radiation is cumulative - that means as your treatments progress, so do their effectiveness and your side effects.

The most common side effect of radiation is fatigue. Patients should plan for this and opt to either take time off work or cut down on their stress and overall workload both at the office and at home. Some changes like a difference in skin color, different skin texture or increased skin irritation can also occur.

Other symptoms are itching, general skin irritation, redness, peeling, soreness, swelling and other common symptoms associated with localized radiation. Breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy often compare it to a severe, but very small sunburn. The good news is that when the treatment comes to a conclusion, the symptoms gradually diminish.

For great information on various cancers, see cancerinfotips.com, a popular site providing symptoms and treatments insights, such as breast cancer stages - http://www.cancerinfotips.com/breast-cancer-stages.shtml, facts about lung cancer - http://www.cancerinfotips.com/facts-about-lung-cancer.shtml, and many more!

Article Source: www.BiGGooRoo.com

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