Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer Treatments – External Beam Radiation
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External Beam Radiation for Extrahepatic Bile Duct Cancer
External beam radiation therapy is a common form of radiotherapy used at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). In this technique, CTCA physicians use a high-energy x-ray machine (called a linear accelerator) to direct beams of radiation from outside the body onto cancerous tissue within the body. The procedure lasts a few minutes at a time, and is usually scheduled for five days a week, over the course of six to eight weeks.
Your CTCA radiation oncologist may use external beam radiation in conjunction with surgery, chemotherapy, and/or a myriad of treatment modalities to help you fight extrahepatic bile duct cancer.
With the significant advancements being made in computer hardware and software, radiation therapy treatment, planning and delivery have changed dramatically and will continue to progress. Recent advances in radiation therapy allow physicians to more accurately target tumors with higher doses of radiation, while minimizing damage to nearby healthy tissue.
Some of the potential advantages of external beam radiation therapy for extrahepatic bile duct cancer treatment include the following:
- Radiation can be performed on an outpatient basis
- Radiation does not typically carry the standard risks or complications that accompany major surgery, such as surgical bleeding, post-operative pain, or the risk of stroke, heart attack or blood clot.
- The radiation procedure itself is painless
- There is no risk of radioactivity to you or others with whom you have contact, so you may continue normal activities with family and friends.
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