Liver Cancer — External Beam Radiation
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External Beam Radiation for Liver Cancer Treatment
One of the most frequently used forms of radiotherapy used at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) for liver cancer treatment is External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT). This type of liver cancer treatment involves directing a “beam” of radiation that targets the cancerous areas of the liver and/or other internal organs and tissues within your body.
External beam radiation therapy uses a high-energy x-ray machine, called a linear accelerator, to direct radiation to the tumor in the liver. The procedure itself lasts a few minutes at a time, and is usually performed about five days a week, over the course of six to eight weeks. External beam radiation may be used in conjunction with surgery, chemotherapy, and/or a myriad of other liver cancer treatments that CTCA uses to help fight liver cancer.
External beam radiation therapy poses no risk of radioactivity to you or others with whom you have contact during your liver cancer treatment. You may continue normal activities with family and friends.
Advantages of external beam radiation therapy include:
- Radiation is an outpatient liver cancer treatment that does not 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 procedure itself causes no pain.
Over the past decade, significant advancements in computer hardware and software have allowed for dramatic improvements in radiation therapy treatment, planning and delivery. Many anticipate that these will continue to progress throughout the next decade and beyond. At CTCA, we are employing these advances to offer innovative radiation therapy treatments that can more accurately target the tumor with higher doses of radiation, while minimizing damage to surrounding, healthy liver tissue.
