Treating breast cancer is a decision made by both patient and oncologist (a doctor or surgeon who specializes in cancer), and may involve several treatment procedures. The most common procedures to treat breast cancer are radiation and chemotherapy. Understanding the difference between the two will help patients make informed decisions regarding their medical care.
Common Breast Cancer Treatments
Radiation therapy in a non-invasive, radiotherapy (x-ray-type) therapy that targets specific cancerous cells in specific areas or locations of the body. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy, meaning that medication is introduced into the body to kill cancer cells.
Side Effects
Because of advancements in drug therapy, individuals undergoing chemotherapy or radiation experience less side effects than before. Nevertheless, chemotherapy comes with more severe side effects than radiation because all of the cells in the body may be affected by the drug being used; radiation therapy targets only specific areas of the body affected by cancerous cell growth.
Common side effects of chemotherapy include nausea and hair loss, while the most common side effects of radiation therapy are skin blotches, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite.
Radiation
Radiation therapy utilizes energy to kill cancerous cells, and is designed to destroy and alter a cancer cell's ability to divide and grow. There are several different types and forms of radiation therapies, including internal and external radiation therapy, and systemic radiation therapy. The type of therapy used will be determined by the type, location and stage of cancer with which an individual is diagnosed.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the medical definition for a drug-based treatment that kills cancer cells. As with radiation, chemotherapy drugs are designed to damage and prevent cancer cells from growing and dividing. The drugs used will also be determined by the type, location and current stage of the cancer.
Protocols
These days, oncologists suggest that chemotherapy and radiation both be used to fight cancer. According to Breastcancer.org, experts have determined that just over 90 percent of women who underwent chemo followed by radiation therapy were cancer-free after a 10-year period.
Tags: cancer cells, radiation therapy, side effects, body affected, breast cancer, Breast Cancer, cancerous cells