0 Radiation Therapy

     Radiation therapy is the best treatment options for breast cancer since it can treat all stages of breast cancer, from stage 0 to stage 3. It can be treated after Lumpectomy or Mastectomy surgeries, it has the ability to destroy and cancerous cells that might be in the breast after the tumor has been removed. Pregnant women should NOT have radiation therapy.

     It uses very high energy beam or high energy of radiation, such as X- rays, to kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing after surgery. The high energy beam is invisible to the human eye but it is capable to destroy the DNA in the cell which stops it from dividing. It kills any cells that are in its pathway including normal cells. On the other hand, cancerous cells are affected better since cancer cells are unorganized, its harder for them to repair the damage that is done by radiation meanwhile, healthy cells can retreat themselves and survive the radiation. There are two main types of radiation therapy: External Therapy and Internal Therapy. 

     Usually, a doctor will recommend radiation therapy after  Lumpectomy if the  cancer is at early stage, located on one site and/or smaller than 4 centimeters. Also a patient might be a high risk to get cancer back after mastectomy if  cancer is 5 centimeters or bigger, cancer has invaded the skin, lymph channel and bloodstream of the breast.