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Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Often, it is done to clear cancer cells that may be left behind in your breast, chest wall or nearby lymph nodes after surgery for breast cancer.
Your Fred Hutch Cancer Center team may recommend radiation therapy:
- After a lumpectomy to lower the chance of cancer coming back in your breast.
- After a mastectomy for some patients with higher-risk features to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back in the chest wall or nearby lymph nodes
- Sometimes to relieve symptoms in people with metastatic breast cancer
Breast Cancer Care Tailored to You
You and your family are our top priority. At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, we offer comprehensive and compassionate care — personalized to you. You'll have access to the latest treatment options, clinical trials and supportive care services.
How Radiation Therapy Is Used for Breast Cancer Treatment
A radiation oncologist decides on the type, dose and schedule of your treatment. Some of the types of radiation therapy your physician may use are:
External-Beam Radiation Therapy with X-Ray Radiation
For breast cancer, most people who need radiation have external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT). In this treatment, a machine aims beams of X-ray radiation (photons) at areas that might still have cancer cells. Usually, this means the whole breast, chest wall and nearby lymph nodes. Treatment is done every day, Monday through Friday, for three to seven weeks. Each appointment takes about 30 minutes.
Some patients who have a lumpectomy for early-stage cancer need radiation on only one area of the breast. This is called partial breast irradiation or accelerated partial breast irradiation. Often, these patients can have a shorter course of treatment.
At Fred Hutch, we offer both whole and partial breast radiation therapy.
To make sure your treatment is exact, we use a multi-camera system. It will read the 3D surface of your body when we plan and set up your treatment, and it will do this again each time you come for a treatment session. The system will track your position to within less than 1 millimeter. We use this surface-guidance system along with deep inspiration breath hold to reduce the amount of radiation that might otherwise reach your heart.
High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy
Accelerated partial breast irradiation can be done by putting a small radioactive source into the breast for a short time. It is placed through a catheter and sends out radiation from the inside out.
This type of internal radiation therapy is called brachytherapy. It may be an option for some patients with early-stage breast cancer who have had a lumpectomy.
Treatment is done twice a day for five days.
At Fred Hutch, we use the SAVI brachytherapy system for accelerated partial breast irradiation.
Proton Therapy
Proton therapy is an advanced radiation treatment that targets the cancer while reducing the amount of radiation exposure for healthy tissues and organs. It is like conventional EBRT, but it uses beams of protons instead of photons.
Using protons instead of photons helps because physicians can aim radiation at the target with less radiation exposure for nearby healthy tissues. This has to do with the way protons deliver radiation to your body. A high dose can be sent to the right area, but the radiation does not keep going to other parts of your body. The goal is to kill cancer cells while reducing the risk of side effects. Learn more about proton therapy for breast cancer.
Why Choose Fred Hutch for Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
Your Fred Hutch radiation oncology team specializes in treating breast cancer. We have extensive experience with every type, grade and stage of the disease. To give you the best outcome, we use our expertise along with state-of-the art equipment and technology to carefully plan and deliver your treatment.
Your care team at Fred Hutch is here to help you prevent or prepare for side effects and to relieve any side effects you have. The most important step you can take is to let your team know what you’re feeling. We’ve helped many patients and families through this process and know ways to ease your experience.
We can give you practical tips for dealing with whatever you’re going through, like how to cope with fatigue. For some side effects, like diarrhea, your care team can recommend over-the-counter medicine or give you a prescription to help. Our supportive care providers can help too. For example, you can meet with a Fred Hutch social worker or psychologist to discuss concerns related to relationships, body image, intimacy and sexuality.
Your radiation oncology team will design your treatment schedule, including the number of treatments you receive. It depends largely on the type of radiation best for you based on the size and location of the tumor.