Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy—also called radiotherapy—is a highly targeted, highly effective way to destroy cancer cells that may linger after surgery. Radiation can reduce the risk of recurrence by 50% to 66% (about a half to two-thirds reduction in risk). Despite what many women fear, radiation therapy is relatively easy to tolerate, and its side effects are limited to the treated area.

Your radiation treatment will be overseen by a radiation oncologist, a cancer doctor who specializes in radiation treatment.

In this section you can read about:

• how radiation works
• ten key points about radiation therapy
• what to expect each step of the way
• how to manage side effects

The medical expert for Radiation Therapy is Marisa Weiss, M.D., director of breast radiation oncology and director of breast health outreach, Lankenau Hospital, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Weiss is president and founder of breastcancer.org and a member of the breastcancer.org Professional Advisory Board, which includes more than 60 medical experts in breast cancer-related fields.

This section was made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from the Cytyc Corporation.