Radiation therapy also called as radiotherapy is a popular and effective treatment that utilises high-energy radiation waves to shrink tumours and kill cancer cells. The treatment involving radiation is painless but is known to cause skin discomfort and several other side effects throughout exposure. Radiation therapy or radiology is usually utilised to treat early-stage breast cancer. It is mostly used as a treatment therapy after the completion of a surgical procedure. 

Oncology surgeons and medical experts carry out the surgeries to remove the cancerous/ malignant tumours from the breasts and radiation therapy is further used to destroy leftover cancerous cells that may be left in the body after the surgery. Radiation therapy hence, acts as a treatment that can help reduce the chance of the cancerous tumour growing back. 

Radiology therapy is mostly used to heal: 
1. Tumour causing breast cancer that cannot be eliminated with surgery 
2. Metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread to parts of the body away from the breast. It may spread to bones, lungs, brain, or liver.) 

TYPES OF RADIATION THERAPIES USED FOR BREAST CANCER

There are four common types of radiation therapies used for patients suffering from breast cancer across the globe today. 

External Beam Radiation:
Administered by a large machine known as a linear accelerator, the external radiation therapy treats cancer by aiming a beam of radiation right at the area requiring treatment. 

Internal Radiation (Brachytherapy):
Unlike external radiation therapy, brachytherapy or internal radiation treatment uses a radioactive substance that is sealed in tiny tubes and placed inside the human body to directly touch the cancer or the place that has cancer cells and treat the patient. 

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy:
Also called as a partial-breast radiation, the intraoperative radiation treatment is delivered at the same time of the breast cancer surgery. Hence, the name intraoperative radiation i.e., radiation used at the time of the operation. 

Proton Therapy or Proton Beam Therapy:
The newest type of radiation therapy used by all leading oncology experts and surgeons, proton therapy utilises particles called protons rather than X-rays to reduce the size of the tumor and kill cancer cells in the body. Proton therapy is still under study and is not used in all facilities as a treatment. 

When is Radiation Therapy Used? 
Radiation therapy is used to treat breast cancer at all stages of cancer. It can be used before or after lumpectomy, after mastectomy and even after completing one therapeutic dose of radiation to kill cancer cells. 

Radiotherapy after lumpectomy:
Most people who go through a lumpectomy are recommended to go for scheduled doses of radiation therapy to kill the cancer cells. Lumpectomy is often described as the surgery that is done to conserve the breast. The main aim of the radiation therapy after lumpectomy is to destroy the leftover cancer cells present after the removal of the tumour. This reduces the risk of the recurrence of breast cancer.

Radiotherapy after mastectomy:
Mastectomy is a surgery carried out especially for breast cancer patients to remove a breast. Most patients suffering from breast cancer are recommended to attend prescribed doses of radiotherapy after their mastectomy to recover from breast cancer and lead their life, cancer free. 

Working of Radiation Therapy
As the name suggests, radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays and related particles to damage and kill cancer cells in the patient’s body. The radiation therapy for breast cancer attacks the cancer cell’s DNA, damages it’s structure and stops it from dividing successfully. 

While targeting the treatment area during radiation therapy, the radiations damage the healthy as well as the unhealthy cancer cells Nevertheless, radiation kills cancer cells more than the normal cells and stops the incessant growth of cancer cells. 

Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells and helps reduce the risk of recurrence. It is one of the advanced breast cancer treatments and is considered one of the most effective treatments in oncology.