Most people have been exposed to radiation in the form of an X-ray - most likely at a dentist’s office. And just like the X-rays given in the dentist’s office, you don’t feel anything while the radiation passes through. But unlike a typical X-ray, the radiation isn’t used just to create a picture of a tooth or broken bone. Radiation therapy delivers higher doses of radiation so that the radiation will kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

While it’s killing the cancer, radiation therapy also can damage normal cells. The good news is that normal cells are more likely to recover from the effects of radiation. Doctors take precautions to protect a person’s healthy cells when they’re giving radiation treatments.

How Is Radiation Given?

Doctors can give people with cancer radiation therapy as the only form of treatment. Or they may use a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy (a treatment that uses medications or chemicals to destroy cancer cells) to fight the cancer. Other people with cancer may have surgery to remove tumors or cancer cells first and then have radiation therapy. Each person’s situation and treatment is different. A person who has cancer will see an oncologist (pronounced: on-kah-luh-jist), a doctor who specializes in cancer treatment.

A radiation oncologist is a doctor whose specialty is using radiation to treat cancer. The radiation oncologist will work with other health care professionals to decide on the type and dose of radiation therapy that will best treat a person’s cancer.

Radiation therapy can be given two ways - externally, through the skin, or internally, through injection or by implanting a radioactive pellet in the body.

With external radiation therapy, doctors use a large machine and special equipment that aims specific amounts of radiation directly at the cancer.

What Happens During External Radiation Therapy?

People who are having external radiation treatments usually don’t need to stay in the hospital overnight. They usually visit the hospital or treatment center 5 days a week (with weekends off) for 2 to 8 weeks. Getting small daily doses of radiation helps to protect the normal cells from damage. The weekend breaks help the normal cells to recover from radiation.

If you’re being treated using external radiation therapy, at each appointment, you’ll dress in a hospital gown or robe and enter the radiation treatment room. After the radiation therapist settles you into position on a table or other flat surface, he or she will leave the room (just as an X-ray technician does when you’re having an X-ray at the dentist or hospital). Then a large machine called a simulator will deliver the exact amount of radiation necessary to kill the cancer cells in the area, which has usually been outlined with ink or a faint tattoo. It usually takes only a few minutes for a teen to receive the daily dose of radiation. While the simulator is on, you’ll have to lie very still so the radiation is directed to the right place on your body.

You don’t have to worry that you’ll glow in the dark after radiation treatment: People who receive external radiation are not radioactive. You’ll be able to have normal contact with family and friends after you leave the treatment room.

What Are the Common Side Effects of Radiation Therapy?

Although radiation therapy is painless, it is powerful, and people who receive it might have some problems during and after treatment. These problems (called side effects) are different from person to person, depending on age, the type of treatment, and where the cancer is located. For example, some people who have radiation therapy may feel more tired than usual, not feel hungry, or lose their hair.

Some of the more common side effects of radiation therapy include:

* Fatigue. Fatigue, or feeling tired, is the most common side effect of radiation treatment, both during treatment and after. You may feel tired for 4 to 6 weeks after radiation therapy has ended.

* Skin reaction or changes. The skin around the treatment area may be red, sensitive, or easily irritated in the days, weeks, and months during and after treatment. The skin may swell or droop or the texture may change. (Most symptoms of skin damage are temporary, although a person may get permanent changes in skin tone or texture.)

* Hair loss. People who receive radiation therapy to the head and neck can lose their hair. Some people can grow their hair back within 3 months after radiation treatment has ended.

* Sore mouth and tooth decay. If you received radiation therapy to the head and neck, your mouth may be sore and sensitive and you may get more cavities. Your doctor may prescribe a mouth rinse to reduce pain. To help reduce these side effects, see the dentist during radiation therapy.

* Stomach and digestive problems. If you receive radiation treatment to the pelvis or abdomen, you might feel sick to your stomach, not feel like eating, have diarrhea, or throw up after radiation treatment. Some people who receive radiation therapy to the head and neck may also experience nausea and vomiting.

* Blood changes. Radiation therapy can kill the germ-fighting cells in the blood. This may temporarily make it harder for a person's body to fight off infection and rarely increase the need for blood transfusions.

Depending on how old a person is when he or she gets radiation therapy, there may be some long-term side effects. Younger people who receive radiation to the pelvic or abdominal region may have problems having children later in life, although doctors do everything they can to prevent this. Some people who have had radiation therapy may also be more likely to develop a second cancer later in life. Anyone who has been successfully treated for cancer should be extra careful to have regular checkups and avoid smoking and sun exposure.

It’s important to tell a nurse or doctor about any side effects so they can help treat the problem. If you’re receiving radiation therapy as a cancer treatment, your doctors will work to cure you, but they’ll also want you to be as comfortable as possible while you’re being treated.

What Can I Expect After Radiation Treatment?

Although radiation therapy itself doesn’t hurt, it can be scary to think about. If you want, talk to your doctor about taking a tour of the radiation treatment center. Meeting the radiation technologists who will be helping you every day and seeing the radiation equipment may help you feel more comfortable during treatment. Many Centers set up routine treatment planning visits to prepare patients for treatment. These include a tour of the facilities and an opportunity to ask questions.

You can talk to the radiation therapist on an intercom during external radiation treatment. Someone will always be watching you during treatment, and the machine can be stopped at any time if there’s a problem.

As you go through radiation treatment, you may feel like you’re all alone - but you’re not. Your parent, friends, doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and other members of the cancer treatment team are there to reassure you before, during, and after radiation therapy.

In addition to coping with the many emotions you’ll feel, you have to deal with the physical stuff, too. Try these tips for chilling out more comfortably during treatment:

* Sleep long, sleep often. Your body needs plenty of rest to recover from radiation and to keep up with basic activities. So scale back on strenuous stuff, and make time to get a good night's sleep every night. Opportunities to get your family to wait on you hand and foot don't come along often!

* Focus on good nutrition. Your appetite may be poor during treatment, so try to eat foods that are high in nutrients. Also, eat a balanced diet to prevent weight loss. Several small meals may be easier to eat than a fewer larger ones - you may find it helps to eat every few hours so you don't get too hungry. At times when your stomach is upset, try foods like crackers, toast, broth, and juice pops.

* If you're frequently sick to your stomach, ask your doctor about anti-nausea medicine.

* Get your doctor's OK before taking any medications, including herbal medicines or over-the-counter drugs.

* Wear loose-fitting, soft clothes, especially around the treatment area. This can help you feel more comfortable, so dig those sweatpants out of the closet or ask the radiation tech if you can borrow some scrubs!

* Your skin is more sensitive to sunlight during and after radiation treatment. Avoid exposing the treated area to the sun during the weeks you're getting radiation therapy. And when the treatment's over, wear an SPF 30 sunscreen on the treated area.

* If you lose your hair because of radiation therapy, protect your head from sun exposure and irritation by wearing soft hats or scarves.

* Wash sensitive areas of skin gently using only lukewarm water - no soaps or skin products, including creams and lotions, until you get your doctor's OK. Pat your skin dry after bathing. If your skin is itchy and irritated, your doctor may prescribe ointments or cream to speed healing and reduce irritation.

Once you’ve finished radiation treatment, it’s still important to visit the doctor for follow-up appointments. During these checkups, the doctor will want to know how you’re feeling, whether you’re having any continuing side effects, and whether there are any signs of the cancer coming back.

Undergoing treatment for cancer can be time-consuming, scary, and sometimes painful. The good news is that radiation therapy can be an effective cancer fighter that enables many people to go on to live healthy, full lives.

Radiation is a form of energy that is carried out by waves or a stream of particles. Through the use of x-rays, electrons and gamma rays, it changes the genes (DNA) of a cell. The goal of the radiation is to kill cancer cells and thus reduce the risk of a recurrence. Radiation does this by damaging the cancer cells ability to divide, which ultimately results in cancer cell death. However, it can in some cases, affect normal tissue and cause side effects. Advances in treatment, such as the TomoTherapy® Hi•Art® treatment system, offer extreme precision and accuracy in the treatment process. By doing so it limits the amount of normal tissue exposed to radiation thus reducing patient side effects.

Immense improvements in the equipment and delivery of treatment have been made during the last 30 years, increasing the overall effectiveness of radiation while decreasing the side effects. The treatment course can last anywhere from 2 to 7 weeks depending on the clinical situation. Radiation is typically given on a daily basis, Monday through Friday, and the time a patient spends in the machine is usually less than 10 minutes each time Treatment reduces the risk of cancer returning and works best in small doses over extended sessions so it can destroy the cancerous cells while allowing adequate time for normal healthy cells to grow. It is painless and the patient does not feel or hear anything.

While technology continues to improve the radiation treatment process, side effects still occur. Side effects depend on the exact type of cancer treatment and location of the radiation treatment. For instance, in breast irradiation, patients can experience redness, dryness or itchiness to the breast. After several weeks, the effects subside. If you will soon be starting or are currently undergoing radiation treatment, it helps to understand the process. Never hesitate to question your doctor to find the best radiation treatment available for you. For more information, please visit www.crccmd.com.

It may be cured by surgery in its early stages or radiation therapy. Other treatments also exist but are typically less effective, including chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and ultrasound treatments. Given the age of those typically affected, treatment is a trade-off between the effects of the cancer and the harmful effects of the treatment itself. Often people decide to simply live with the cancer. In the early stages there are no symptoms. It is only found later, mostly through routine checks. Occasionally it may manifest itself through problems with urination Genetic background is an important indicator of risk of developing prostate cancer.

Studies have found that in the United States, this form of cancer affects more black men than white or Hispanic men and also kills more black men. Men whose close relative had prostate cancer are also almost three times as likely to develop the cancer themselves. The genes connected to prostate cancer are also important for ovarian cancer and breast cancer.

Additionally, a lack of intake of vitamins contributes to the risk, as does the low intake of minerals. However there is a dietary form of Vitamin A that reacts with zinc and protein and has been implicated with added risk for this type of cancer. Aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen may decrease the risk of cancer, as does the use of statins. Sexually transmitted infections and obesity are positively correlated with cancer as well. The only test that can definitely find prostate cancer is biopsy where small pieces of the prostate are removed for microscopic evaluation. This is only done after other tests, because many men complain of discomfort during the procedure. If the cancer spreads beyond the prostate, treatment options are limited.

Most commonly referred to as a wellness center, many communities have resources for breast cancer patients and survivors (as it is the most common cancer afflicting women) who feel they need more support than their doctor is able to provide. Although sometimes associated with hospitals themselves, these centers are becoming more common as non-for-profit entities that employ a variety of staff from nurses and psychologists to meditation instructors and hypnotists.

As can be seen in one such wellness centers mission statement, the general goal of these centers is to, "educate, empower and encourage all women living with breast cancer". To do this, they offer a wide variety of services. On the clinical side they usually have support groups, personal one-on-one consultations with counselors who are experts in the field of emotional pain related to cancer diagnosis and many offer family counseling so that parents with cancer are able to explain to their kids in an effective way what it means to have cancer. Along with these services they tend to off a variety of different services on a day-to-day basis so that patients can interact with each other while maintaining low stress levels, which has been proven to aid in the overall well being of a cancer patient.

There are a wide variety of services such as: drum circles, art therapy, yoga, massage, reflexology, seminars put on by doctors and local health professionals from the community, mixers, etc. For many women these groups and activities are what help them get through this troublesome time when sometimes even their closest family and friends are not comfortable talking to them because of their condition. As one survivor puts it, "I think everybody gets tired of treatment. Sometimes the treatment is worse than the disease. But, what really helped me through it was the close friends I made through the wellness center in my area.

The women there were all experiencing the same thing as I was and were not afraid of the emotions I was going through. In fact they were the most supportive of anyone I interacted with. Without them, this journey in my life would have been much harder." More and more it is becoming accepted that there is a mind body relationship that needs to be monitored in treatment of any serious illness. While women's doctors may help them through the physical treatment of breast cancer, places such as these wellness centers are there to provide the missing link...an emotional rescue.