Radiation therapy is one of the most common treatment methods used to treat cancer, alongside surgery and chemotherapy. Read on as Icon Cancer Centre Radiation Oncologist Dr Francis Chin (Senior Consultant in Radiation Oncology, Palliative Medicine) answers some of your burning questions on radiation therapy treatment for cancer.
Question: How does radiation therapy work?
Answer: Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, uses radiation to safely treat and manage cancer by destroying cancer cells, reducing the growth and spread of cancer or relieving cancer symptoms.
Radiation therapy attacks cancer cells and limits damage to healthy cells, as cancer cells are more sensitive to radiation.
Question: How long is each session?
Answer: Treatment is usually provided each day (Monday to Friday) over a number of weeks, which allows the radiation to target cancer cells and provides healthy cells with enough time to recover over the weekend. The treatment is a relatively quick process. Each treatment session may last between 5 to 20 minutes and is generally provided as an outpatient service.
The duration of the treatment session is a guideline and the course of radiation therapy is unique for every individual, depending on the location and stage of the disease, type of cancer, age and general health.
Question: Are there any side effects of radiation therapy?
Answer: There are some common short-term side effects that develop during radiation therapy treatment. You may experience skin redness, dryness, itching, blistering, or peeling in the area that your radiation therapy is being delivered. These skin reactions may last throughout your treatment and will usually resolve a few weeks after treatment has finished. Sometimes, these effects may worsen towards the end of treatment and for up to two weeks after your treatment ends.
Another common side effect you may have during your treatment is fatigue. As you reach the end of your treatment, your fatigue may worsen. Every person is affected by fatigue in different ways, which may also depend on whether you are receiving other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. Fatigue usually resolves a few weeks after the completion of your treatment. To best manage your fatigue, it’s important to find a balance between rest and activity.
If you have any concerns about the side effects, please discuss these with your radiation oncologist as they are the best person to provide more details.
Question: What are the benefits of radiation therapy compared to other cancer treatments?
Answer: Depending on the type of cancer you have and your unique needs, radiation therapy may be the only cancer treatment that is required. One of the benefits of radiation therapy is that it is usually given as outpatient treatment, so patients can still continue with their daily activities and lead a normal life.
Radiation therapy also works hand-in-hand with other treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. For many types of cancer, such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, skin cancer and prostate cancer, radiation therapy is effective in reducing the risk of cancer recurrence when delivered either before or after surgery.
Other cancers such as head and neck cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer and cervical cancer will typically have radiation therapy delivered as the main treatment to avoid the need to remove organs and/or avoid surgery.
Radiation therapy can also be used as palliative care for advanced cancers to effectively provide pain management.
Question: I read that exposure to radiation can cause cancer and heart issues. How can radiation still treat cancer?
Answer: When radiation therapy is administered to the chest area for cancers such as lung cancer, oesophageal cancer or breast cancer, there is a small risk that certain heart issues can develop due to radiation being delivered to healthy tissue surrounding the cancer. Heart conditions that may develop include:
- Pericarditis – Inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart
- Premature coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis
- Myocarditis – Inflammation of the heart muscle
- Congestive heart failure – Loss of heart pumping ability
- Heart valve disease
- Heart rhythm changes – Arrhythmia
- Cardiomyopathy – Enlarged heart
However, there are a number of techniques that are used to reduce damage to the heart and surrounding organs during radiation therapy such as Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH). The process involves holding a certain number of breaths for short bursts during treatment which allows the heart to move backwards into the chest while the breast is exposed to radiation.
Usually, your doctor will assess your personal health history before deciding on the best course of treatment for your cancer. Here are some of the factors that the doctor will look into:
- Heart disease risk factors – Such as obesity, cigarette smoking, diabetes and family history
- A personal history of heart disease
People who have been treated with radiation therapy for a previous cancer have a slightly higher risk of developing cancer again. The risk is different depending on where in the body you have been treated, the dose of radiation you received and your age when treated, with an average time of about 10 years between the radiation treatment and the diagnosis of a secondary cancer. If you are concerned about other cancers that may develop following radiation therapy treatment, please discuss this with your doctor.
