External Beam Radiation for Multiple Myeloma
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Multiple Myeloma Treatment: External Beam Radiation
External beam radiation therapy is one of the most commonly used forms of radiotherapy for the treatment of multiple myeloma at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) hospitals.
In a nutshell, external beam radiation therapy involves directing a “beam” of radiation from outside your body onto the cancerous, internal organ and/or tissue within your body. This treatment may be used in conjunction with chemotherapy and/or a myriad of other weapons in the CTCA arsenal to help you fight multiple myeloma.
External beam radiation therapy is administered by a linear accelerator (a high-energy X-ray machine), which directs radiation at the tumor. Typically, the procedure is scheduled for a few minutes at a time, five days a week, over the course of six to eight weeks.
Advantages of this radiation therapy include:
- External beam radiation therapy is an outpatient procedure 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.
Because of significant advances in computer hardware and software, radiation treatment, planning and delivery have changed dramatically and will continue to progress during the next decade. These advances in radiation therapy have made it possible to more accurately target the tumor with higher doses of radiation, while minimizing damage to your healthy tissue.
External beam radiation therapy poses no risk of radioactivity to you or others with whom you have contact. You may continue normal activities with family and friends.
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