Bone Cancer Treatments – External Beam Radiation

External Beam Radiation for Bone Cancer 

As computer hardware and software continues to evolve, radiation therapy treatment, planning, and delivery continues to advance and evolve. Recent advances allow radiation therapists to more accurately deliver higher doses of radiation to bone cancer cells, while minimizing damage to nearby healthy bone tissue. 

External beam radiation therapy is a common form of radiotherapy the experts at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) use to fight bone cancer. In this technique, the radiation oncologist directs a "beam" of radiation from outside the body and focuses it on cancerous bone tissue within the body.

External beam radiation therapy directs radiation to a bone tumor using a linear accelerator, which is a high-energy x-ray machine. Each session lasts a few minutes at a time, and is typically scheduled for five days a week over the course of six to eight weeks.

Some of the advantages of external beam radiation therapy include the following:

• It is an outpatient procedure
• Radiation does not carry the standard risks or complications that accompany major surgery for certain types of bone cancer, such as surgical bleeding, post-operative pain, or the risk of stroke, heart attack, or blood clot
• The radiation procedure itself causes no pain

External beam radiation is often used in conjunction with surgery, chemotherapy, and/or a myriad of other weapons in the CTCA arsenal to help you fight bone cancer. While you are undergoing external beam radiation therapy for bone cancer at CTCA, you may continue normal activities. There is no risk of radioactivity to family, friends or others with whom you have contact.

Next Topic:  Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for Bone Cancer