The procedure itself is painless. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes, but the setup time—getting you into place for treatment—usually takes longer.
In select women, some doctors are using accelerated partial breast irradiation APBI to give larger doses over a shorter time to only one part of the breast compared to the entire breast.
Since more research is needed to know if these newer methods will have the same long-term results as standard radiation, not all doctors use them. There are several different types of accelerated partial breast irradiation:. Women who are interested in these approaches may want to ask their doctor about taking part in clinical trials of accelerated partial breast irradiation.
If you had a mastectomy and none of the lymph nodes had cancer, radiation will be given to the entire chest wall, the mastectomy scar, and the areas of any surgical drains. It is typically given daily 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Whether or not you have had BCS or a mastectomy, if cancer was found in the lymph nodes under the arm axillary lymph nodes , this area may be given radiation. In certain cases, the lymph nodes above the collarbone supraclavicular lymph nodes and behind the breast bone in the center of the chest internal mammary lymph nodes will also receive radiation along with the underarm nodes.
It is typically given daily 5 days a week for 6 weeks at the same time as the radiation to the breast or chest wall is given.
Being overweight also increases the risk of lymphedema [ 5, ]. Learn more about lymphedema. However, you may lose some hair under your arm or on the breast or chest area getting radiation this may be a concern for some men with breast cancer. Although rare with modern treatment, the side effects below may occur a few months or years after radiation therapy. Rib fracture can occur when the radiation weakens the rib cage near the treatment area.
This is rare with modern treatment. If radiation therapy is given to the left side of the chest, heart problems may develop years later. Many techniques are now used to limit this risk.
With modern radiation therapy, the risk of heart problems is usually very small [ 19 ]. Radiation pneumonitis is an inflammation of the lungs that can cause shortness of breath, a dry cough and low-grade fever. Brachial plexopathy can happen when radiation damages nerves in the upper chest.
It may cause permanent tingling, pain and weakness in the affected hand and arm. The most common cancers linked to radiation therapy are sarcomas cancers of the connective tissue [ ].
For women who are long-term smokers, radiation therapy may also increase the risk of lung cancer [ 19 ]. The risk of a second cancer is small. If your radiation oncologist recommends radiation therapy, the benefits of radiation therapy outweigh this risk. Side Effects of Radiation Therapy.
Skip to content. Side Effects of Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy to the breast can cause some side effects. Talk with your health care provider about your concerns. Short-term side effects Most often, side effects from radiation therapy begin within a few weeks after starting treatment [ 9 ].
Pain and skin changes During and just after treatment, your treated breast may be sore. Fatigue Fatigue is common during radiation therapy and may last for several weeks after treatment ends. Talk with your health care provider if you are fatigued or have problems sleeping insomnia.
Using heating pads and ice packs may help a person cope with pain and soreness following radiation therapy. Wearing loose clothing and applying an unscented moisturizer can help reduce discomfort caused by skin changes. To reduce stress and fight fatigue, a person can also try:. It is crucial to report any side effects to a doctor or nurse, especially if a person is experiencing them for the first time.
Radiation therapy can be a very effective treatment for breast cancer. A person should expect some side effects, but most will be mild and resolve over time. It is essential to communicate any side effects to the medical team, to ensure that a person is not experiencing a symptom of something more serious.
Read this article in Spanish. Stage 4 breast cancer occurs when cancer spreads to distant parts of the body. Learn more about the symptoms, outlook, and treatment options here. There are two main types of HER2-negative breast cancer: Hormone receptor-positive and triple-negative. Many treatments exist, and outlook varies. A new study proposes new breast cancer screening standards for Black women to address the disparities that racism causes.
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