It's called hypofractionated radiotherapy, and it helps doctors cut courses of radiation almost in half, significantly reducing the total number of radiation treatments patients need.
Just one week of radiation therapy after surgery for early-stage breast cancer is as safe and effective as longer courses, researchers report. Radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer once stretched out over many weeks; the current international standard involves higher doses spaced out over three weeks.
Short-course radiation therapy uses 1 week of radiation without chemotherapy (5 Gy × 5) followed by surgery the next week. In contrast, standard chemoradiation uses 45–50.4 Gy in 25–28 fractions with concurrent 5-FU chemotherapy followed by 4–8 weeks of rest before surgery.
How long does radiation therapy take? Each radiation therapy treatment takes about 10 minutes. Radiation therapy to try and cure cancer is usually delivered daily, Monday through Friday, for about five to eight weeks. Weekend breaks allow normal cells to recover.
Breast Cancer: 3 Weeks of Radiation May Be Just as Effective as 6 Weeks in Early Stages. Researchers say three weeks of radiation treatment is just as effective as six weeks for people with early-stage breast cancer.
Typically, people have treatment sessions 5 times per week, Monday through Friday. This schedule usually continues for 3 to 9 weeks, depending on your personal treatment plan. This type of radiation therapy only targets the tumor. But it will affect some healthy tissue surrounding the tumor.
In some people, radiotherapy can make your skin sore, change colour (it might become red, lighter or darker than your normal skin tone), or dry and itchy. Sometimes it can blister and peel. This tends to start 1 to 2 weeks after treatment begins. Tell your care team if you notice any soreness or changes to your skin.
Radiotherapy with the aim of curing cancer usually lasts between 1 to 7 weeks. For radiotherapy to relieve symptoms, you might have anything between a single treatment to 2 weeks of treatment. It might be longer than this. Your doctor will tell you how many treatments you'll have.
Radiation sickness is damage to your body caused by a large dose of radiation often received over a short period of time (acute). The amount of radiation absorbed by the body — the absorbed dose — determines how sick you'll be. Radiation sickness is also called acute radiation syndrome or radiation poisoning.
Don't wear tight clothing over the treatment area. It's important not to rub, scrub or scratch any sensitive spots. Also avoid putting anything that is very hot or very cold—such as heating pads or ice packs—on your treated skin.
The course of treatment usually lasts between 1 and 7 weeks. The individual radiotherapy doses are often called "fractions". However, the term "attendances" may be used to indicate how many hospitals visits will be needed during treatment.
Most people have 5 treatments each week (1 treatment a day from Monday to Friday, with a break at the weekend). But sometimes treatment may be given more than once a day or over the weekend.
Treatment times: Traditionally, patients with early-stage lung cancer receive about seven weeks of radiation therapy. That time can be reduced to just three to five treatments over two weeks, and patients with advanced cancer that has not metastasized can be treated in about four weeks, says Dr. Decker.
The side effects of radiotherapy usually peak up to two weeks after treatment has finished. The effects of radiotherapy continue developing, and it may take a further couple of weeks to several months for you to feel normal, depending on the area of the body that has been treated.
Using many small doses (fractions) for daily radiation, rather than a few large doses, helps to protect the healthy cells in the treatment area. The break from treatment on weekends allows the normal cells to recover.
Some cancers are difficult to treat and have high rates of recurrence. Glioblastoma, for example, recurs in nearly all patients, despite treatment. The rate of recurrence among patients with ovarian cancer is also high at 85%.
A radiation burn is a damage to the skin or other biological tissue and organs as an effect of radiation.
The most common early side effects are fatigue (feeling tired) and skin changes. Other early side effects usually are related to the area being treated, such as hair loss and mouth problems when radiation treatment is given to this area. Late side effects can take months or even years to develop.
Feeling very tired and lacking energy (fatigue) for day-to-day activities is the most common side effect of radiation therapy to any area of the body. During treatment, your body uses a lot of energy dealing with the effects of radiation on normal cells.
Many cancer patients lose weight unexpectedly during radiation therapy because they struggle with side effects caused from treatment. Maintaining proper nutrition during radiation therapy can increase your chances of successful treatment and improve your quality of life during and after treatment.
Reactions to radiation therapy often start during the second or third week of treatment. Or, they may last for several weeks after the final treatment. Some side effects may be long term. Talk with your treatment team about what you can expect.
Cancer treatments, like radiotherapy and chemotherapy, can sometimes cause short-term physical problems. Some treatments can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun. These effects can limit the amount of travelling you can do – or the type of activities you do while you're away.
Most people find that their hair starts to fall out in the area where they are getting radiation therapy, about 2 to 3 weeks after their first radiation therapy session.