Radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy or Xray treatment is a type of treatment procedure for cancers in which special rays called ionizing radiaiton is passed through cancerous cells to kill them.
The ionozing rays destroys the genetic material of the cells making it impossible for them to recover. During therapy, the rays also destroy normal cells, but these cells can usually recover again to function normally since they are healthy cells.
Radiotherapy is generally combined with surgery or chemotherapy. It is done before surgery to help shrink the tumor and improve surgical outcome. It can also be done after surgery to prevent any recurrence of tumors. In certain cases, it is also done during surgery (IORT or Intra-operative radiation therapy)
Types of Radiotherapy: There are different types of radiotherapy and different ways to deliver the rays.
- External Radiotherapy: In this procedure, the rays are delivered from outside the body and targetted carefully at the cancerous area. In breast cancer, external radiotherapy is the type of radiation preferred. This type of radiotherapy is also useful to women whose breast cancer has spread to other organs and who require treatment to decrease the pain and discomfort. The image below shows external radiotherapy to the breast.
Besides the usual
external radiotherapy, there are two special type of external radiotherapy:
- Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy(IORT): This type of external radiation is given on the OT table during surgery. It is used to treat localized cancers that cannot be completely removed or that have a high risk of recurring (coming back) in nearby tissues. the healthy tissue is frst shielded with special covers and a high energy single blast of radiation energy delivered to the cancerous tissue.
- Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is : This type of radiation is given to the brain when there is a high risk of spread to the brain.
- Internal Radiotherapy: Internal radiotherapy, also called Brachytherapy is a procedure in which radioactive sources are placed inside the body very near to the tumor area. The radiation source is usually sealed in a small holder called an implant.
There are two types of internal radiotherapy:
- Interstitial Radiation therapy:
In case of breast cancer, the implant consists of very hollow tubes placed under the skin. Radioactive wires are threaded through these tubes and kept in place for a few days. It requires the patient to stay in the hospital for these days. Some women treated with external radiation for breast cancer receive a “booster dose” of radiation that may use interstitial radiation or external radiation.
- Intracavitary or Intraluminal Radiation therapy : In this procedure the source of radiation in inserted with an applicator. It is not used in breast cancer.
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