Breast Cancer External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)
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External Beam Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
Depending on the extent of the breast cancer, your personal preferences and other factors, your breast cancer team at CTCA may recommend External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT).
With EBRT, your radiation oncologist will first pinpoint the area(s) of treatment using a variety of diagnostic and imaging tools to locate the breast tumor(s). Then, a machine (called a linear accelerator) directs high-energy rays from outside of the body onto breast tumor(s) within the body. The procedure lasts only a few minutes at a time and is usually administered five days a week over the course of six to eight weeks.
EBRT is often used in combination with breast cancer surgery, to either shrink tumors before surgery or to help eradicate any cancerous cells that remain after a procedure.
Advantages of EBRT
- It’s a fast, painless outpatient procedure.
- Unlike chemotherapy, which circulates through the body, external beam radiation therapy is targeted to the area being treated.
- There is no risk of radioactivity to you or your friends and family.
This form of breast cancer radiation therapy is distinguished from other forms of radiotherapy, which place radioactive materials directly into or near a breast tumor via injection, a catheter or other methods.
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