Radiation Therapy

What Is Radiation Therapy?

Radiation therapy is a common type of cancer treatment that may be prescribed on its own, but is often used in conjunction with surgery and/or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy uses beams of extremely strong energy to kill cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy, which is a treatment that affects the entire body, radiation therapy specifically targets the tumor.

According to The National Cancer Institute, radiation therapy kills cancer cells or slows their growth by damaging their DNA. Cancer cells whose DNA is damaged beyond repair stop dividing or die. When the damaged cells die, they are broken down and removed by the body.

Radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells right away. It takes days or weeks of treatment before DNA is damaged enough for cancer cells to die. Then, cancer cells keep dying for weeks or months after radiation therapy ends.   

In the first week after the chemotherapy is done, the white blood cells drop below the normal range. In the second or third week, the cells fall to the lowest levels. But when the effect of the drugs wears off after the third week, the cells start to return to their normal count slowly.

Get a Physician Referral

(855) 314-8346
A Linear Accelerator machine.

Who gets Radiation Therapy?

The American Cancer Society cites more than half of people with cancer get radiation therapy, according to cancer.org. Sometimes, radiation therapy is the only cancer treatment needed and sometimes it's used with other types of treatment. The decision to use radiation therapy depends on the type and stage of cancer, and other health problems a patient might have.

For some patients, radiation may be used to reduce the size of a tumor prior to surgery; this is called neoadjuvant therapy. Adjuvant therapy, on the other hand, involves using radiation after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.

Types of Radiation Therapy

The radiation therapy given will depend on the type of cancer you have, where it is located, and whether it has metastasized. The number of treatments you require will depend on several factors, though most patients undergo radiation 5 times a week for 1 to 8 weeks. Radiation therapy can take several forms.

Radiation Therapy Treatment Options at BayCare

  • Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS): This type of external radiation therapy uses very advanced equipment to target the brain tumor. Radiation beams are aimed and shaped to exactly match the size and shape of the tumor so they can accurately deliver a single large dose of radiation. Targeting tumors with this precision means minimal radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues, resulting in fewer side effects.
  • Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)/Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT):This therapy uses computers to control and vary the strength of radiation beams. This means higher radiation doses can be focused on the tumor, making it more effective for fighting cancer. Lower doses to healthy tissues nearby mean fewer side effects. Conventionally, IMRT is delivered at a steady rate from fixed machine positions relative to the target. VMAT is a type of IMRT that also varies the dose delivery rate and machine rotation speed to permit additional tailoring of the dose while retaining the ability to deliver the treatment rapidly. Faster treatment delivery can be achieved with continuous arcs that revolve around the target. Shorter treatment times diminish discomfort and decrease the chance of patient movement during treatment.
  • High-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy: This therapy is used to treat certain breast, gynecologic and other cancers. PreciseRT™ using high dose brachytherapy provides a nonsurgical alternative for APBI, in which the dose is delivered from outside the body using a mammography-like apparatus in conjunction with an HDR treatment delivery machine.
  • Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI): A specialized device, used inside the breast, focuses radiation in areas where cancer cells may still remain after tumor-removal surgery. It’s called ‘accelerated’ because typical treatment courses can be completed in a week or less.
  • Hypofractionated radiation therapy: Delivered over a shorter period of time (fewer days or weeks) than standard radiation therapy, this reduces the total treatment time.
  • Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH): This specialized treatment technique uses deep inspiration, image guidance and chest wall tracking during delivery of radiation to the breast or chest wall. By increasing the distance between the heart and the chest wall, DIBH techniques reduce exposure and minimize radiation dose to the heart.
  • Fiducial marker placement: For prostate and lung cancer patients, fiducial marker placement uses imaging guidance to place small metal objects called fiducial markers in or near a tumor. The markers help pinpoint the tumor’s location with greater accuracy and allow the treatment team to deliver the maximum radiation dose to the tumor, while sparing healthy tissue.
  • SpaceOAR™: The SpaceOAR system is a medical device used to protect against rectal injury during radiation therapy for prostate cancer. SpaceOAR, which stands for “Spacing Organs at Risk,” is an absorbable perirectal spacer.
  • Optune®: For patients diagnosed with glioblastoma, we offer a treatment called Optune. Optune is made of strips of electrodes that cover a patient’s shaved head. The electrodes create low-intensity, alternating electrical fields that are designed to slow the growth of cancer cells. Optune can also shrink the tumor, which reduces pressure on areas of the brain where the tumor is located, thus alleviating symptoms such as headaches, nausea, memory loss and changes in personality.

Some patients and conditions aren’t suited for some of these treatment options. Your physician can advise you on which treatment is best for you. 

Risks of Radiation Therapy

Potential acute (short-term) side effects of radiation therapy include:

  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Skin changes
  • Hair loss (when radiation is applied to the head but may also occur in other parts of the body)

Long-term side effects can take months/years to develop. Discuss with your radiation oncologist. 

Healthy cells that are damaged during radiation treatment usually recover within a few months after treatment is over. But sometimes people may have side effects that do not improve. Other side effects may show up months or years after radiation therapy is over. These are called late effects. Whether you might have late effects, and what they might be, depends on the part of your body that was treated, other cancer treatments you've had, genetics, and other factors, such as smoking.  

There is some risk that radiation may cause a second cancer to develop in a different area of the body years after treatment. However, The U.S. National Cancer Institute estimates that only about 8 percent of patients who undergo radiation develop this long-term side effect. 

Rehabilitation

You don’t have to accept the discomfort of lymphedema. We can help you manage your symptoms and control swelling and pain. The key to living with this chronic condition is getting the right treatment. Our specially trained team, including an occupational therapist certified in lymphedema therapy can help with:

  • Manual lymph drainage
  • Compressive bandaging
  • Personalized exercise program
  • Skin care
  • Instruction in home activities
  • Maintenance program with six month follow up

Learn More About Radiation Therapy at BayCare

BayCare offers state-of-the-art radiation therapy services throughout the Tampa Bay area so that individuals diagnosed with cancer can get the best care possible. Call (855) 314-8346 for more information or find a doctor near you. Find out more about radiation therapy at any of the following locations:

 

Additional Resources