 |
Radiation is given either through external, non-invasive high-energy rays,
or through seed implants inserted near the tumor. The radiation therapy is
used to destroy or damage cancer cells so they can not multiply. These are
the types of radiation therapy we provide:
|
External Beam Radiation We need a few sentences explaining each of these
in this section
|
|
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
|
|
IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy)
|
|
IGRT (Image Guided Radiation Therapy)
|
|
Respiratory Gating
|
|
Brachy therapy
|
|
|
Low Dose Rate Seed Implantation
|
|
|
High Dose Rate Seed Implantation
|
|
|
Mammosite Brachytherapy for Breast Cancer
|
What Are the Goals of Radiation Therapy Treatment?
|
Cure - Eliminate all cancer cells: no evidence of disease
|
|
Control - Slowing progression of disease
|
|
Prevent recurrence (Adjuvant)
|
|
Shrinking tumor before surgery (neo-adjuvent)
|
|
Pain Relief
|
What Are the Side Effects of Radiation Therapy?
|
Fatigue
|
|
Redness and irritation
|
|
Some loss of appetite
|
|
Skin texture changes
|
|
Swelling
|
|
Joint stiffness
|
|
For head and neck cancers: dry mouth, hair loss, difficulty swallowing,
changes in or loss of sense of taste, nausea, ear aches
|
Typically, side effects are limited to the parts of the body that receive
treatment. Fortunately, most side effects will go away in time.
What Treatment Is Right for You?
Individualized treatments are determined by the characteristics of the kind
of cancer determined by surgery, biopsy, laboratory tests, x-rays
(mammography, chest x-ray) and scans.
|
|
