Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy may be used as the main treatment, or in combination with other treatments, to shrink or kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy aims high-energy rays from outside the body to damage the cells in the path of the beam.

When Is it Used?

Primary radiation therapy may be used for

• older patients with large cancers
• patients with health problems who cannot have surgery
• tumours in areas which are hard to remove surgically, for example, on the eyelids, ears, or nose
• cancers that have come back after surgery and have become too large or too invasive to be removed with more surgery
• relieving symptoms (palliative care)

Primary radiation therapy can cure small nonmelanoma skin cancers and can delay the growth of more advanced cancers.

In some cases, radiation therapy is used after surgery as additional (adjuvant) therapy to kill small deposits of cancer cells that may not have been removed during surgery, or to lower the risk of cancer recurring after surgery. Radiation may also be used to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes or other organs.

A patient receiving radiation therapy will likely visit a medical facility with special x-ray equipment between 15 and 30 times. Recovery times vary depending on the location of the cancer and the amount of radiation used.

Side Effects

The side effects of radiation therapy include

• fatigue
• nausea and vomiting
• hair loss in the treated area
• irritated, red skin in the treated area
• diarrhea if the skin radiated is in the area of the abdomen or pelvis

With longer treatments, these side effects may get worse.

Risks

After many years, new skin cancers may develop in the areas that were treated earlier with radiation. For this reason, radiation is not usually used to treat skin cancer in younger people. Additional risks include:

• the skin becoming dry, hairless and discoloured
• the skin becoming easily infected
• skin atrophy
• healthy skin being destroyed by the radiation