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Radiation therapy remains one of the most common tools for breast cancer treatment, but it has been refined considerably over the years.

Radiation is performed two different ways: both internal and external.

Radiation treatments that are external are done using a highly focused, high energy beam of light utilized to annihilate cancer cells and their surrounding tissue. The beam of light can not be seen with your eyes but it can pass through your skin because it is semi-transparent. Cancer cells are composed differently, therefore they react differently to treatments.

Healthy cells that are located within the path of the radiation are affected by it. As cancer cells actively divide and grow in abnormal ways the way they function is easily interrupted. They could potentially absorb a greater percentage of radiation than healthy cells do. The energy works to kill the cancer cells. The beam also aids in destroying the blood vessels generated by the cancer to feed itself. These vessels are located around the tumor.

Internal radiation therapy, sometimes called brachytherapy, is more akin to chemotherapy. But rather than using drugs per se to affect a chemical change, a small amount of radioactive material is implanted. That material ejects radiation that targets cancer cells, killing them from the inside.

Internal radiation therapy isn’t as common as external. But just like with any other treatment method when and how it is utilized is something that is determined after you meet with a specialist.

Radiation therapy is typically used prior to or in addition to another treatment. After an individual has a modified mastectomy the oncologist usually recommends that they also receive a course of radiation treatment lasting anywhere from six to eight weeks.

The goal of radiation therapy is to ensure that any cancerous cells that could not be removed by the surgeon are destroyed by radiation. It is a treatment that is less intense because utilizing radiation to completely kill cancer would require longer and higher doses.

Similarly, radiation treatments may accompany chemotherapy. Since each case is unique, the patient and oncologist will determine what’s best for each person. In other cases, it may be used solely to relieve symptoms without any expectation of cure.

Despite the high energy in the beam, radiation treatments themselves are painless. There are often uncomfortable side effects, however.

Radiation treatments often cause fatigue, especially during the later treatment stages. Often times the treatments are given for five days at a time over a period of multiple weeks, and often times are used twice per day. In those cases the fatigue might outlive the treatment length.

Problematic skin is a fairly common side effect. Because radiation is absorbed by some of the breast tissue an individual might experience redness, soreness, and itching. They might notice decreased sensation on and about the breast, under the arm and even nearby areas. Radiation doesn’t cause hair loss unless it is applied directly to the head, which typically isn’t the case during breast cancer treatment.

In cases that are more severe the immune system might be compromised, especially if radiation is being applied to an individual’s lymph nodes. Lymph nodes and the vessels that connect to them and run through the body are a vital part of the immune system and radiation can potentially work to decrease their level of effectiveness.

Fortunately, side effects are usually short lived. Except in the most extreme cases, organs, lymph nodes and other body components are not destroyed or irreparably harmed by radiation treatment. Though function may be temporarily suppressed, the body generally bounces back.