You will usually have a CT scan of the area to be treated. During the scan, you need to lie in the position that you will be in for your radiotherapy treatment. You may have some small, permanent markings made on your skin. The marks are about the size of a pinpoint. They help the radiographer make sure you are in the correct position for each session of radiotherapy.
These marks will only be made with your permission. If you are worried about them, talk to your radiographer. Your radiographer will explain what happens during treatment. At the beginning of each session, they make sure you are in the correct position. If your muscles and shoulder feel stiff or painful, a physiotherapist can show you exercises that may help.
When you are in the correct position, your radiographer leaves the room and the treatment starts. The treatment itself is not painful and it only takes a few minutes. The radiographers can see and hear you from outside the room. There is usually an intercom, so you can talk to them if you need to during your treatment. During treatment, the radiotherapy machine may stop and move into a new position.
This is so you can have radiotherapy from different directions. Radiotherapy can cause side effects in the area of your body that is being treated. You may also have some general side effects , such as feeling tired. After treatment finishes, it may be 1 to 2 weeks before side effects start getting better. After this, most side effects usually slowly go away. Your cancer doctor, specialist nurse or radiographer will tell you what to expect. They will give you advice on what you can do to manage side effects.
If you have any new side effects or if side effects get worse, tell them straight away. Your skin in the treatment area may get red, dry and itchy. Dark skin may get darker or have a blue or black tinge. Your specialist nurse or radiographer will give you advice on looking after your skin. If it becomes sore and flaky, your doctor can prescribe creams or dressings to help this. You need to avoid exposing the treated area to the sun for at least a year after treatment finishes.
Use suncream with a high sun protection factor a minimum of 30 SPF to protect your skin if it is exposed. This is a common side effect that may last for up to 2 months after treatment. Try to get plenty of rest and pace yourself. Balance this with some physical activity , such as going for short walks, which will give you more energy.
You may have a dull ache or shooting pains in the treated area that last for a few seconds or minutes. You may also notice that the area becomes swollen. These effects usually improve quickly after treatment. You might still have aches and pains in the area after radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy to the breast may cause side effects that happen months or years after radiotherapy. They are called late effects. Newer ways of giving radiotherapy are helping reduce the risk of these late effects happening.
If you are worried about late effects, talk to your cancer doctor or specialist nurse. Radiotherapy can damage small blood vessels in the skin. This can cause red, spidery marks telangiectasia to show.
After radiotherapy, your breast may feel firmer and shrink slightly in size. If your breast is noticeably smaller, you can have surgery to reduce the size of your other breast. If you had breast reconstruction , using an implant before radiotherapy, you may need to have the implant replaced.
It is rare for radiotherapy to cause heart or lung problems, or problems with the ribs in the treated area. This usually only happens if you had treatment to your left side. Tell your cancer doctor if you notice any problems with your breathing, or have any pain in the chest area. Below is a sample of the sources used in our breast cancer information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at cancerinformationteam macmillan. Primary breast cancer: ESMO clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.
Annals of oncology 26 supplement 5 : v8—v Morrow M, et al. Chapter malignant tumors of the breast. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. But I think the word is getting out, especially from our surgeons, that the outcome is the same whether or not you have all your breast tissue removed.
Women who opt for breast-conserving surgery also have a choice about the type of radiation therapy they receive. Once again, studies have shown that, in many people, a less-extensive treatment can work just as well at preventing cancer recurrence. The standard radiation therapy approach after a lumpectomy has been to target the entire breast.
The method is called whole-breast irradiation. It is typically given every day for four to six weeks. In recent years, researchers have investigated whether women with early-stage breast cancer who undergo a lumpectomy could instead receive accelerated partial-breast irradiation APBI.
This involves daily treatment of a smaller part of the breast over a shorter time period, typically one to two weeks. In December , two large studies published in The Lancet suggested that APBI after a lumpectomy is appropriate for many women with early-stage breast cancer. McCormick was a co-author on one of the studies, which reported results from a randomized phase III trial comparing whole-breast radiation therapy with APBI in more than 4, women with early-stage breast cancer.
Although the study showed a slightly higher increase in the cancer returning with APBI, the overall risk was low. But the differences overall were very small, and I think patients should feel they can pick and choose after talking with their doctor.
The other Lancet study, reported by researchers in Canada, also showed APBI to be as effective as whole-breast radiation. A second controversy regards the sequencing of postmastectomy radiation and breast reconstruction. In this article we discuss these controversies, review the data that are relevant, and provide our institutional approaches to these issues.
Abstract Despite years of clinical study, there are still many unanswered questions regarding postmastectomy radiation. Publication types Research Support, Non-U.
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