A common misconception when being treated for cancer is that no matter what course of treatment you undergo, the side effects are similar. Chemotherapy and radiation are frequently used after a person is diagnosed with cancer and both treatments have the same goal, to kill cancer cells. However, the side effects can be quite different. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, meaning it is typically given through an infusion into the blood. Thus, there is potential for side effects not related to the site of the cancer. For example, a woman with breast cancer may lose her hair, may have nausea or may have her blood counts drop from chemotherapy. Radiation, on the other hand, is a local treatment with the side effects typically occurring near the area of the body where the radiation is delivered. In the example of the breast cancer patient, radiation to the breast can result in skin redness and sometimes peeling of the skin around the breast, but should not cause side effects outside of the area treated.
Another concern I hear from patients is that their family members or friends who received radiation many years ago experienced a lot of side effects. Although no treatment is without the potential for side effects, quite simply, radiation today is not the same as it was many years ago. One of the latest and most effective forms of radiation treatment is called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IMRT, considered one of the best advances in radiation therapy in the last 10 years, delivers highly conformal beams of radiation to the target area, while at the same time minimizing nearby normal tissues. TomoTherapy is a new treatment modality that provides us with even better IMRT. TomoTherapy has been in use for the last five years and it creates very accurate and conformal beamlets of radiation by rotating around the patient during treatment. Another important aspect of TomoTherapy is that it helps localize the target every day. Prior to treatment, a CT scan is performed and the target is visualized. Slight adjustments are made, usually on the order of a couple of millimeters, if necessary. This precision allows us to give adequate doses of radiation to kill the cancer while protecting the nearby normal tissues.
If you are in need cancer treatment, it helps to know your options, whether it be radiation therapy, surgery or chemotherapy. Never hesitate to question your doctor to find the best course of treatment for you. For more information, please visit www.crccmd.com or e-mail info@crccmd.com.
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