| Most breast cancer patients wonder why radiation is | | | | also recommended following breast resection |
| necessary if a breast cancer has been removed. | | | | (mastectomy) if the cancer extended to or through |
| Despite local removal of the cancer tissue, about | | | | the surgical margins or if the cancer has spread to |
| 30% of women will have a relapse without | | | | the lymph nodes. The addition of radiotherapy in |
| radiotherapy. Pathologists often have difficulty | | | | these situations reduces recurrence risk considerably. |
| determining if there is a clear margin of normal tissue | | | | So is radiation always necessary? If it were easy to |
| surrounding the cancer, given the difficulty of | | | | pick 60 to 70 percent of women who would not |
| measuring of minuscule amounts of cancer cells. It is | | | | have a local recurrence, then radiotherapy could be |
| also known that there may be "skip" areas between | | | | optional in most cases. Unfortunately, this is not so |
| the cancer tissue and small hard-to-detect satellite | | | | easy to do. If the cancer is small, with a large clear |
| cancer nodules in the immediate vicinity. Thus, in spite | | | | margin of non-cancerous tissue and if there is no local |
| of clear margins, cancer cells may be resting on the | | | | spread to the lymphatic system, then one might |
| other side of the biopsy margins. Cells may have | | | | consider observation alone and no radiation may be |
| migrated through the breast duct system and come | | | | necessary, especially if the woman's breast has a |
| to rest outside of the biopsy site as well. | | | | large amount of fat tissue. As a woman ages, the |
| Radiotherapy is important because it has a good | | | | ratio of fat tissue to glandular tissue increases. It is |
| chance of destroying those random cancer cells | | | | quite normal for the female breast to contain |
| beyond the breast cancer margins. | | | | significant amounts of fat, which is not necessarily |
| The method of radiotherapy involves the use of a | | | | related to obesity. In fact, thin women can have |
| machine called linear accelerator, which converts | | | | breasts that contain a large percentage of fat. Thus, |
| radioactive particles into a high-energy radiation beam | | | | the fat content of the breasts may be a factor in |
| that is used to treat a specific, defined area of the | | | | considering the need for radiotherapy after |
| body. Radiation affects cells in the area of the tissue | | | | mastectomy. |
| beneath the directed beam of radioactive particles | | | | There are adverse effects from radiation to the |
| and dividing cells are affected more by radiation than | | | | breast. It is usual to have some skin changes, which |
| resting, non-cancerous cells. Cancer cells are, | | | | will manifest as redness and some inflammation that |
| therefore, more affected than healthy cells, but both | | | | usually heals over time. 90% of women have an |
| cell types are damaged by radiation. On the other | | | | excellent cosmetic result once healing is visible. 10% |
| hand, normal cells have a greater ability to repair | | | | have some fibrous tissue formation, shrinkage of the |
| themselves following radiation exposure, compared to | | | | breast and a reduction in skin elasticity and sensitivity |
| cancer cells. Radiation places cancer cells into a cell | | | | in the breast area. There are several treatments that |
| death cycle at the time of the next scheduled cell | | | | can be used on the breast skin to facilitate healing |
| division. This cell death cycle is known as apoptosis. | | | | and reduce the long-term effects of radiation. |
| Radiation delivered to the chest area is sometimes | | | | |