| For most women undergoing therapeutic radiation, | | | | Post-Mastectomy Radiation Therapy |
| breast cancer is the reason why. It is the most | | | | Most doctors recommend radiation therapy after a |
| common cancer among women in the United States, | | | | mastectomy for patients who are at a high risk for |
| and radiation therapy is one of the most widely used | | | | cancer recurrence anywhere on the chest wall. |
| treatments. To learn more about radiation and how | | | | Factors that put many women at risk include |
| and why it's used, read on. | | | | underarm lymph nodes that may test positive for |
| How Radiation Therapy Works | | | | cancerous cells, any tumor larger than 5 cm, and |
| Radiation therapy for breast cancer uses high-energy | | | | narrow margins for positive cancer cells in the |
| x-rays that either kill cancer cells or inhibit their ability | | | | removed tissue. |
| to divide or grow. Cancer cells grow rapidly and are | | | | If a patient has a very small amount of lymph nodes |
| therefore more susceptible to the effects of | | | | that test positive for cancer cells, many practitioners |
| radiation therapy - more so than normal, healthy cells. | | | | argue over the value of radiation therapy at all. While |
| When Radiation Therapy is Used | | | | breast cancer survival rates may be higher, many |
| Radiation therapy is used to treat breast cancer at | | | | patients suffer from other issues like heart or |
| almost every stage of the disease's progress. This | | | | coronary problems caused by the radiation. |
| treatment is used in stage I and stage II primary | | | | Side Effects of Radiation |
| breast cancer along with surgery and, in some cases, | | | | Radiation is cumulative - that means as your |
| after a mastectomy. | | | | treatments progress, so do their effectiveness and |
| Radiation - Breast Cancer After A Lumpectomy | | | | your side effects. |
| A lumpectomy is a surgical process where a | | | | The most common side effect of radiation is fatigue. |
| cancerous lump or small tumor is removed from the | | | | Patients should plan for this and opt to either take |
| breast. After this procedure, most practitioners | | | | time off work or cut down on their stress and |
| prescribe radiation treatment to prevent an in-breast | | | | overall workload both at the office and at home. |
| recurrence or relapse. | | | | Some changes like a difference in skin color, different |
| The risk for in-breast recurrence hovers at around 30 | | | | skin texture or increased skin irritation can also occur. |
| percent if radiation therapy is not given to the | | | | Other symptoms are itching, general skin irritation, |
| patient after a lumpectomy. Yet, if the patient | | | | redness, peeling, soreness, swelling and other |
| receives radiation therapy, that risk is reduced to a | | | | common symptoms associated with localized |
| fraction (between 5 and 10 percent). | | | | radiation. Breast cancer patients undergoing radiation |
| Despite the survival benefits for radiation therapy | | | | therapy often compare it to a severe, but very small |
| after a lumpectomy, it's not for everyone. If you've | | | | sunburn. The good news is that when the treatment |
| had radiation before, suffer from a connective tissue | | | | comes to a conclusion, the symptoms gradually |
| disease like lupus or are pregnant, you should not | | | | diminish. |
| undergo radiation therapy. | | | | |