Cancer Treatment Radiation Therapy

Breast Cancer & Radiation Side Effects

One of the more rapidly growing options for breast cancer treatment is radiation therapy--more specifically, external radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is the use of ionizing radiation to treat malignant tumors in the body, and it is used to...

Facts on Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncology is a cancer treatment that uses high energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy can originate from a device similar to an X-ray machine. A doctor can also administer radiation therapy as an internal treatment by...

Cancer Diet During Radiation Treatments

Radiation therapy is a rite of passage for thousands of cancer patients---and one that leaves many of them cancer-free. But side effects of radiation, including nausea, can make it hard to maintain a healthful diet. You might need to revamp your...

Long Term Side Effects of Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is used against many cancers to help shrink tumors or to help reduce the risk that they will return. As with all medical interventions, long-term side effects occur. According to the Mayo Clinic, side effects can persist months...

Effects of Radiation Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Each year, approximately 240,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States, according to MedlinePlus, a website of the National Institutes of Health. Men with prostate cancer can help fight off this disease by utilizing a number...

What Are the Effects of Radiation for Cancer?

Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that acts to both kill cancer cells and shrink the size of tumors. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), approximately half of all individuals diagnosed with cancer receive radiation...

What Are the Treatments for Cancer That Has Metastasized?

Cancer develops when previously healthy cells in the body accumulate a number of genetic mutations. These mutations allow the cells to begin proliferating out of control while evading cellular death, eventually forming a tumor containing millions...

About Breast Cancer Treatments

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. after lung cancer. Improvements in screening and adequate treatment continue to improve the survival...

Chest Radiation: Side Effects

Patients who have certain types of cancer, such as lung or breast cancer, may choose chest radiation as a form of cancer treatment. Radiation therapy utilizes high-energy x-rays directed at the site of cancerous cell growth to destroy these cells....

6 Ways to Manage Side Effects From Prostate Cancer Treatment

No matter how you are being treated for prostate cancer, you will experience some pain. Your doctor will prescribe a combination of medications to help relieve the physical side effects that come with radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. You may...

Colorectal Cancer Treatments

Colorectal cancer is a type of disease that develops when abnormal cancerous cells begin to grow within the lining of your colon (large intestine) and rectum. Though the cause of this disease is unknown, certain risk factors, such as increased...

Exercises for Pelvic Tightness After Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is used to shrink tumors and help fight the effects of cancer. Gynecological problems that form in your pelvis could require radiation therapy as a lifesaving course of treatment. Along with radiation therapy comes certain side...

Prostate Cancer Radiation Side Effects

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the outlook for patients with prostate cancer continues to improve due to advances in methods of detection and treatment. One treatment option in prostate cancer treatment is radiation therapy, the...

What Are Long-Term Effects of Radiation?

Radiation therapy can be used to treat many different types of cancers involving all parts of the body. Many people have few initial side effects but this may change as treatment continues; the effects are usually limited to the areas of the body...

Common Cancer Treatments

Cancer is a medical condition caused by the abnormal growth of cancerous cells in a specific region of the body, such as the lungs, breasts or liver. Though a cancer diagnosis can be emotionally overwhelming, there are a number of treatment...

Local Effects of Radiation

Radiation therapy is a method of using light beams to break up cancerous tumors. Radiation is provided by an oncology team consisting of the physician, a physicist, or the person in charge of equipment, a dosimetrist, or the person in charge of...

Side Effects of Proton Beam Radiation for Prostate Cancer

Proton beam radiation therapy is a newer option for treating prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Foundation states that proton beam therapy is more precise than other forms of radiation therapy that may decrease the incidence and severity of side...

Main Cancer Treatments

Cancer is caused by the unregulated abnormal growth of cells, which may spread---or metastasize---throughout the body. If you are diagnosed with cancer, you may have a number of treatment options available. Though alternative cancer treatments are...

Cancerous Tumor Treatments

Normal cells grow, divide and die all according to an intracellular program and in response to external signals. When cells transform into cancerous cells, they divide uncontrollably, do not die when they should, damage the surrounding normal...

Types of Radiation Treatment for Cancer

Radiation therapy is one way in which many different kinds of cancers can be treated. Radiation causes cell damage; if properly focused, it will mainly destroy cancer cells, though normal cells may also be affected. There are several different...

What Are the Risks of Lung Cancer Radiation Treatment?

According to MayoClinic.com, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States as of 2010. Even with therapy--surgery, chemotherapy and radiation--the survival rate after five years is less than 15 percent, according to Dr....

What Are the Treatments for Breast Cancer After Radiation?

Radiation therapy represents a common breast cancer treatment. During radiation therapy, doctors aim a high dose of radiation into the breast tumor, allowing the radiation to severely damage the cancer cells and promote cancer cell death. Although...

Side Effects After Radiation Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Radiation therapy is a common treatment for prostate cancer, especially early, localized prostate cancer. Radiation may be given externally, by a machine or via radioactive "pellets" inserted into the prostate, a technique called brachytherapy.

What Are the Causes of a Thyroid Adenoma?

The thyroid gland, located around the throat, is the largest hormone-producing gland in the body, and contains a number of specialized cells that control the secretion of several hormones into the bloodstream. A thyroid adenoma occurs when cells...

Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment

Prostate cancer develops in the prostate gland, a small structure that is part of a man's reproductive organs. Radiation therapy--beams of energy used to kill cancer cells--is one form of treatment for prostate cancer.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is one of the many therapies available as of 2011 to battle cancer. Radiation therapy uses high-energy doses of radiation to destroy cancer cells. It is often used in conjunction with other treatments, including surgery and...

Breast Radiation Procedures

Radiation therapy is a common treatment for many forms of breast cancer, and can improve the efficacy of other cancer therapies such as breast cancer surgery. Cells exposed to radiation undergo massive cellular damage--they are unable to divide...

Intraocular Melanoma Health Video (Video)

Intraocular melanoma is a form of eye cancer that can be very deadly. Get expert tips and advice on preventing and treating eye cancer in this video.

Esophageal Cancer Health Video (Video)

Esophageal cancer is a form of cancer that starts in the inner layer of a 10-inch long tube that connects your throat and stomach. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for Esophageal Cancer in this video.

Salivary Gland Cancer Health Video (Video)

Salivary Gland cancer occurs in the salivary glands that produce saliva. The cancer develops in the inner lining or some part of the glands. Learn more about this cancer in this video.

Dry Mouth Health Video (Video)

Xerostomia is the medical term for dry mouth. We all lack saliva from time to time, but a dry mouth can affect both your enjoyment of food and the health of your teeth. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of dry mouth in...

Soft Tissue Sarcoma Health Video (Video)

Soft tissue sarcoma is a cancerous tumor that can easily spread to other organs and the rest of the body. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for soft tissue sarcoma in this video.