Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Radiation after lumpectomy. If you're having an operation to remove the breast cancer and leave the remaining breast tissue intact (lumpectomy or breast-conserving surgery), your doctor may recommend radiation after your procedure to kill any cancer cells that might remain.
What side effects does radiation therapy typically cause in breast cancer patients? There are two “flavors” of side effects from radiation therapy, regardless of what type of cancer is being treated: early and late.
The most common early side effects of radiation therapy in breast cancer patients are skin irritation and fatigue. This can range from a light blush or darkening of the skin to more like a sunburn, sometimes with skin peeling.
For some people with early-stage breast cancer, the time needed for daily radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) can safely be shortened from about 4–6 weeks to 3 weeks, an NCI-funded clinical trial has found.
Radiation therapy to the breast can cause side effects. Some begin during treatment. Others may not occur until months or even years later. Before you begin radiation therapy, talk with your health care team about possible side effects and how to manage them.
After a lumpectomy, many women get hypofractionated whole-breast radiation therapy which uses a slightly higher dose of radiation per session. This reduces the number of treatment sessions and shortens the overall course to 5 days a week, for 1-4 weeks.
Radiation therapy has some short-term side effects (such as skin redness and tenderness) and for some people, long-term side effects (such as lymphedema). Before you begin radiation therapy, talk with your health care provider about possible side effects and how to manage them.
Your care team may suggest breast cancer radiation therapy after a lumpectomy or after a mastectomy. To understand how radiation therapy fits into breast cancer treatment, this is a good place to start.
What are treatment side effects? Typically, radiation therapy doesn’t cause immediate side effects, but you may have short-term and long-term reactions. Short-term side effects may include: Fatigue: Most people have mild fatigue that starts during treatment and goes away a few weeks after treatment is finished.
Severe (grade 3 or higher) side effects were uncommon for both groups, experienced by 3.5% of patients after shortened treatment and 3.3% after conventional treatment. “This approach cuts treatment time for these patients in half,” said Dr. Vicini.