• Radiotherapy is also called radiation therapy, the commoner types for breast cancer are:
  • Medical Linear Accelerators are the key systems used for delivering radiotherapy treatments. Radiotherapy fields can be planned with 2-Dimensional, 3-Dinemsional or by using CT scans. Not all hospitals provide this treatment.
  • Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is the newest and most sophisticated form of external beam radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer. IMRT’s most promising use will be treating body cancers with less damage to healthy tissues. This system is not readily available in Malaysia.
• Most breast cancer patients have very few side effects. Most of the side effects are local, with increased pigmentation of the skin and some mild local skin swelling.
• When one has breast conservation surgery, it is mandatory to have radiation to reduce the risk of local recurrence.

Sources:

The cancer treatment information is made possible through grant from Boeing.
The article has been reviewed by Associate Prof. Dr. Nur Aishah Binti Mohd Taib, Consultant Breast Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Building, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur