Cervical cancer occurs when the cells of the cervix divide uncontrollably, eventually damaging the surrounding normal tissue. Doctors utilize various approaches to treat cervical cancer, including radiation therapy which involves the use of high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. There are a few different techniques used to apply the radiation beam to kill cancer cells.
External Beam Radiation
For this type of radiation treatment, the machine that generates high energy X-rays is placed outside the body and focused towards the cervical cancer tissue. The American Cancer Society notes that treatments of this type are applied over 6 to 7 weeks. Along with the radiation treatments, a small dose of the chemotherapy drug called cisplatin is prescribed as well. External beam radiation can cause the formation of scar tissue in the vagina, which may cause sexual intercourse to be painful.
Brachytherapy
The Radiation Oncology Department of the University of California at San Diego notes that brachytherapy, sometimes referred to as internal beam radiation, involves placing the radiation source inside the body near the cervical cancer tissue. Brachytherapy is either administered in a high dose for a short period, or in a low dose for a longer period of time that requires the patient to be on bed rest for several days following implantation of the radiation source. The radiation source is administered using a specialized applicator, and is placed so that it lies next to the cancerous tissue while the patient is under generalized anesthesia. As of 2010, high-dose brachytherapy is the dominant brachytherapy technique, as it is a shorter outpatient procedure.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
The Fox Chase Cancer Center describes a new advanced form of radiation therapy called intensity modulated radiation therapy. This type of radiation therapy uses several thin radiation beams focused on the cancer, similar to external beam radiation. However, the difference is that this therapy uses imaging techniques like MRI and CT scans to precisely determine the location of cervical cancer tissue. Multiple X-ray beams at different intensities allow the radiation to target the cervical cancer, but spare the normal tissue surrounding the cancer. This therapy helps to reduce the amount of scar tissue generated.
