3 Factors To Consider When Using Radiation Therapy To Treat Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Posted on: 20 September 2016

Here's some distressing news: breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and is also the second leading cause of death. To prevent yourself from becoming a victim of breast cancer, perform breast self-exams to check for lumps at least once a month. If you catch breast cancer in its early stages, it'll be a lot easier to eradicate the cancerous cells with radiation therapy. Before conceding to the treatment, here are 3 factors you should be aware of.

Shorter Radiation Courses Are More Effective

If you think that toughing lengthy radiation therapy treatments out will be most effective in eradicating cancerous cells, think again. Recent studies have found out that shorter radiation courses and cycles may actually be more effective than longer treatment times when treating early-stage breast cancer. Treatment time should be shortened to 4 weeks as opposed to the standard 6 weeks. On top of achieving higher efficacy, shorter radiation courses and cycles are also less damaging to the patient's body. You should keep this in mind when determining the length of therapy to go with, as longer doesn't necessarily mean better.

Full Radiation Dose Everywhere Is Unnecessary

Getting diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer can be very scary, and many patients become scared of their breasts, and, as a result, opt to radiate the entire organ. To eradicate cancerous cells of early-stage breast cancer, you don't need to opt for the full dose to the entire breast. The cancerous cells are not going to return to areas of the breast that was not radiated. In fact, studies have shown that using radiation therapy to only target the cancerous regions can be just as effective. This means that less tissues will be affected and damaged. In short, targeting only the cancerous regions will have less of a toll on your body. This is particularly good news for those who tend to experience sensitive skin after each radiation therapy treatment course.

There Is Increased Risk of Developing Leukemia

While radiation therapy is highly recommended for treating early-stage breast cancer, it doesn't come without risks. While the risk of developing leukemia after getting radiation therapy has always been rather minimal, some studies have found that the risk of developing leukemia is significantly higher in patients relying on radiation therapy to eradicate cancerous breast cells. The risk is two times higher than the likelihood it was previously believed to be. In addition, patients who opt to use radiation therapy to eradicate cancerous breast cells are also more susceptible to developing other diseases, like high blood pressure, as they age. Depending on your family's medical history, you might want to consider other treatment options as well.

Conclusion

If you have been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, it's important that you do adequate homework in order to determine whether radiation therapy is a suitable option and choice for you. Speak to a radiation specialist (like those at Provision Center For Proton Therapy) if you have any concerns or inquiries that have not yet been answered.

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