What is radiation therapy and how does it cure cancer?
Why do you treat healthy tissue?
What is palliation?
How is radiation therapy used for palliation?
What is control?
What does control rate mean?
What does the survival rate mean?
What does radiation therapy feel like?
Will I be radioactive?
Does radiation give you cancer?
What are the side effects of radiation therapy?
Will I lose my hair?
Will radiation therapy affect my sex life?
Will radiation therapy make me nauseated?
Why do I need tattoos to get radiation?
What do the tattoos look like?
Will getting the tattoos hurt?
Are the tattoos permanent?
Is cancer treatment worse than cancer?
How often will I see my radiation oncologist?
Why is follow up care necessary?

Radiation therapy is a highly effective, pain-free treatment option used to cure or control the spread of cancer, bring relief to symptoms including pain, and to improve the quality of life of a patient with cancer. Radiation therapy is used on up to 80% of all cancers including breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, brain tumors and more.

Radiation therapy involves the use of various kinds of radiation treatment techniques. The most effective radiation technique is selected to destroy abnormal (cancer) cells while sparing the normal surrounding tissue.

External radiation therapy treatment (this is known as IMRT or 3-D Treatment Planning or External Beam radiation) involves the careful and accurate use of a high energy beam that passes through living tissue directly at a cancerous tumor and then exits out the other side of the body. Internal radiation therapy treatment (also known as brachytherapy) involves the careful and accurate placement of radioactive sources into cancerous and/or living tissue.

Radiation kills cancer by damaging DNA, causing cells to die at cell division. Unfortunately it can also kill normal tissue, but because normal tissue is healthier than cancer cells the normal tissue is able to repair itself after treatment. It is important that you select a radiation oncologist who is able to determine which treatment technique would be best for your type of cancer, the maximum dosage to be aimed at the tumor, and the minimum amount of healthy tissue to expose to the radiation.

In some cases radiation therapy may be used alone, but in other cases it may be combined with surgery and/or chemotherapy to achieve the best outcome.

A tumor can be thought of as a porcupine with quills that are so long and thin that they cannot be seen on a CT or MRI. A margin of "healthy" tissue around the tumor must be treated in order to destroy the potential cancerous cells that are in that area.

A human body is constantly at least moving small distances due to movements relating to breathing and intestinal movement. If a margin of normal tissue is not treated around the tumor this motion will push the tumor out of the path of the radiation beam.

Palliation is a way of relieving the symptoms of a disease or disorder.

When cancer grows out of control the tumors can press on nerves or block airways or arteries. Radiation therapy can shrink the size of the tumor removing the nerve compression, opening the airway or the artery.

Control is the ability to reduce or prevent the spread of the disease.

Control rate is the effectiveness in reducing or preventing the spread of the disease. For example if the control rate is 80% then in 80% of the cases the radiation oncologist is able to reduce or prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. 80% is the same as saying that they are able to control the disease in 8 out of every 10 patients. This is only an example. You are encouraged to discuss this with your radiation oncologist.

The survival rate is a historical statistic that measured people with the same type of cancer utilizing conventional treatment. For example, according to the National Institute of Health, National Cancer Institute, the 5 year survival rate for thyroid cancer during 1980 to 1993 was 94.6%. This means that 94.6% of the people who had thyroid cancer between 1980 and 1993 and were treated with conventional treatment were alive 5 or more years later. 94.6% would be at least 9 out of 10 patients who survived 5 or more years. This is only an example. You are encouraged to discuss this with your radiation oncologist.

Patients can not see, smell, taste, hear or feel radiation treatment. The actual radiation treatments are very similar to getting an X-ray. A small number of patients have felt warmth or a tingling sensation in the treatment area, but they did not feel any pain or discomfort.

When the machine is on there is no pain; however, an additive affect of many treatments over several weeks can lead to discomfort in the treatment area. Please see more under the side effects question.

No. Even though the effects of radiation are powerful, the patient will not become permanently radioactive. External radiation therapy affects targeted cells only for a moment. By the time the patient leaves the treatment area the patient will not be emitting any radiation. With internal radiation therapy, the patient's body may emit a small amount of radiation for a short time.

Radiation therapy is an effective way to treat certain kinds of cancer. During radiation therapy, high doses of ionizing radiation are directed at the cancer, resulting in the death of the cancer cells. However, this can lead to DNA mutations in cells that survive the radiation, which can eventually lead to the development of another cancer (called a second primary cancer).

Overall, however, radiation alone does not appear to be a very potent cancer-causing agent in second tumors. This is because radiation treatment is usually used in a localized area, which means fewer normal cells are exposed to radiation.

When considering radiation exposure from radiation therapy treatment, the benefits usually outweigh the risks. The statistics on radiation induced cancers vary dramatically from different sources. When treating an adult with cancer with radiation the chance of causing a new cancer from radiation is somewhere between 1 and 5% at 30 years later. This means that if a 60 year old patient is treated with radiation, then when they turn 90 years old, they will have a 1 in 20 chance, at the most, of having a radiation induced cancer. Usually, without the radiation treatment, the patient's chance of living 30 years is exceedingly less likely.

Many patients have no side effects at all, but some patients do have side effects associated with the treatment area. Side effects vary from patient to patient and will depend mostly on the treatment dose, the part of the body that is treated and the patient's general health before treatment.

The most common side effects are modest fatigue and some skin redness in the treatment area. Other side effects usually are related to the treatment of specific areas, such as hair loss following radiation treatment to the head.

Although unpleasant, most side effects are not serious and can be controlled with medication or diet. An exception to this is high dose radiation to the inside of the mouth and throat. Some patients with high dose radiation to these areas can have permanent significant swallowing and/or pain problems.

When patients receive chemotherapy in addition to radiation therapy most of the side effects they experience are usually related to the chemotherapy and not the radiation therapy. Chemotherapy can affect the entire body. Radiation therapy affects the area that is exposed to radiation. If you are experiencing a side effect in an area that is not receiving radiation treatment and chemotherapy is also part of your cancer treatment plan, your medical oncologist may be the best physician to help you with your concerns.

Radiation therapy can cause hair loss (alopecia), but only in the area being treated with radiation. For example, if the patient receives treatment to the spine, the patient will not lose hair on their head. However, radiation to the patient's brain may cause the patient to lose some or all of the hair on their scalp. Most patients find that their hair grows back after the treatments are finished.

With most types of radiation therapy, neither men nor women are likely to suffer any change in their ability to enjoy sex. If radiation is directed at the sexual organs it can affect sexual functioning. Ask your doctor for details. Unfortunately many patients are seriously ill from the cancer alone and this affects their ability to perform sexually.

Radiation therapy effects only those areas being treated. If the patient is receiving radiation therapy to their abdomen then the patient may experience some nausea from their treatment. There are excellent medications available now that almost always allow good control of this nausea. Often times the doctor finds the nauseated radiation patient is nauseated from chemotherapy, other medications (most commonly pain medicines) or the flu and not the radiation treatment.

Tattoo markings that are used for radiation therapy are very small (around 1 millimeter), about the size of a freckle or the head of a pin. They are necessary so the radiation therapist can precisely pinpoint the area needing treatment. These permanent markings are crucial for ensuring the accurate targeting of the tumor area. It also allows the technician to line up the treatment fields quicker making each of your treatment sessions run more smoothly.

Most cancer centers are using tattoo markers, but some may be using a Magic Marker line. Tattoos are much more precise than a Magic Marker line. During the course of treatment, a tattoo allows you to take showers and go swimming without worrying about losing the marks that guide your radiation to the most critical spots.

The tattoos are created by placing a drop of dark blue or black India ink on the skin and then using a sterilized needle to implant a bit of the ink within the skin layer. The process feels like a pinprick, much less painful than when you have blood drawn. Each tattoo is often smaller than a freckle, which, in most cases, would not be seen by anyone other than the patient who knows that they are there or the therapist.

Yes, there is a small amount of pain involved. It is minimal however compared with other needle sticks. The therapist uses the smallest needle she can to lift the top layer of the skin only and places a drop of ink under it. There is no deep penetration of the skin or body involved.

Yes, they are. These tattoos provide a very positive tool in the treatment of cancer. During treatment they are necessary so the radiation therapist can precisely pinpoint the area needing treatment. After treatment they provide a history of the patient's treatment areas to future healthcare providers. Whenever there is a risk for recurrence of the cancer the tattoos should be left in place. If the same tissue is irradiated, thickening of the skin and scarring could result.

For cosmetic or psychological reasons, some patients want these tattoos removed. You are strongly advised to discuss this decision with your radiation oncologist. If you decide to have these tattoos removed, you have the choice of surgery or laser treatment. Either of these procedures can cause scarring which may be more noticeable than the original tattoo. For best results you should consult either a board certified dermatologist or a board certified plastic surgeon.

Almost always cancer is worse than the treatment. Often people diagnosed with cancer have never experienced any symptoms or pain. It is only after the treatment starts that they begin to feel sick. Therefore, they associate feeling sick with getting treatment - not with the cancer itself. There are times when every cancer patient questions their commitment to the difficult journey of treatment and its side effects. Sometimes they can become discouraged by the uncertainty of treatment, and wonder if it's worth it. However, cancer treatments are becoming more and more effective, and doctors are learning more and more ways to control their side effects. Almost always uncontrolled cancer growth makes people much sicker than treatment. You are encouraged to discuss this with your doctor.

If Dr. John Gwozdz is your radiation oncologist, you will see him at least once a week during the course of your treatment so that he can see how well you are tolerating the therapy. Usually the visit will take only a few minutes. There is always a radiation doctor available anytime you need to see one.

There is no magic test for any cancer to tell the doctors on the day the patient finishes treatment that they are cured or not. The only way to assure that the patient is cured is to follow them, periodically see them over time. The most important function of follow-up visits is to find cancer recurrence at its earliest stage when it can be treated most effectively.

Taking good care of yourself and returning for your regular exams is a part of following through after radiation treatments. If you are a patient of Dr. John Gwozdz then after you have completed your radiation treatments, Dr. Gwozdz will continue to provide follow-up care and monitor your progress at Texas Oncology – Amarillo. It is important to have regular exams to check the results of your treatment. Your follow-up care will depend on the kind of cancer you have and on other treatments that you had or may need. Mostly likely, Dr. Gwozdz will want to see you at least once a year after your treatment ends.