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Breast Cancer

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Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the breast. Cancer starts when cells begin to grow out of control. Breast cancer cells usually form a tumor that can often be seen on an x-ray or felt as a lump. Breast cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get breast cancer, too.

It’s important to understand that most breast lumps are benign and not cancer (malignant). Non-cancerous breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not spread outside of the breast. They are not life threatening, but some types of benign breast lumps can increase a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer. Any breast lump or change needs to be checked by a health care professional to determine if it is benign or malignant (cancer) and if it might affect your future cancer risk.

At South Bay Radiation Oncology, we understand how hard it can be to choose the perfect team for the treatment of breast cancer. It’s important to have the very latest treatment options with highly trained professionals in a comfortable and caring setting, close to your home. You deserve exceptional and compassionate care and South Bay Radiation Oncology will be an integral part of your journey to survivorship.

How We Treat Breast Cancer

At South Bay Radiation Oncology, we utilize radiation therapy to treat breast cancer. Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays that target specific cancer sites. Our advanced technology allows us to precisely aim the radiation at the tumor while avoiding damage to the normal, healthy cells. Radiation may be used to destroy cancer cells, relieve symptoms associated with cancer, and/or prevent the cancer from returning.

Your treatment is custom-tailored and unique to your diagnosis, tumor size, location and involvement. Your radiation oncologist (a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with radiation) will review all available treatment options and recommend a personalized plan for you based on national guidelines, which guide all cancer treatments. Radiation therapy is used either alone or in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery.

Radiation can be delivered either from outside the body with a machine called a linear accelerator (external beam radiation) or from a radiation source implanted permanently or temporarily in the body (brachytherapy).

Benefits Of Radiation Therapy

Targeted

A miniaturized x-ray source delivers a precise dose of radiation directly to the cancerous site. This focused approach carefully destroys cancer cells and spares surrounding healthy tissue.

Non-Surgical

Radiation therapy is painless, scar-free and does not require anesthesia, offering a patient-friendly solution.

Convenient

By offering an in-office option for prostate cancer treatment, patients able to return to normal activities immediately with no downtime.

Efficient

Our platform is comprised of cutting-edge hardware and software was expertly designed to facilitate best in class clinical collaboration and quality of care.

What To Expect

Treatment Planning

You will have a CT scan, PET scan or MRI to create a personalized treatment plan. A specialized team, including your oncologist, will use 3D images and special computer software to establish the precise contours for each tumor and any regions of risk (sensitive organs or structures). Your physician will decide how much radiation the tumor should receive and the appropriate pattern, position and intensity of the radiation beam will be calculated.

Treatment Schedule

Radiation treatments happen Monday through Friday for a number of weeks, usually for 5-8 weeks. Weekend breaks, on Saturday and Sunday, allow your normal cells to recover and assist your healing process.

Pre-Treatment Markings

Ink marks or small tattoo-like dots may be placed on your skin in the area of the tumor to ensure the radiation is precisely delivered to the tumor. The markings are visible on your skin, but only in the area of the tumor and are not permanent. They are designed to fade and will begin to disappear towards the end of your radiation treatments. Occasionally, the markings will have to be reapplied to your skin during treatment. It is very important that you do not scrub the markings, during your bathing/showering. Your radiation therapist will discuss with you how to care for your skin during your treatments, including protecting the markings. You may also need a custom-fitted molded device to help keep you in the same position before and during treatment.

Day of Treatment

Our radiation therapists will bring you from the waiting room to the treatment room with the linear accelerator (radiation machine). They will ensure you are comfortable and assist you in getting positioned on the treatment table.

Preparing Treatment Equipment

Our therapist will align the laser to the target on your skin, indicated by the “tattoo-like” markings. Alignment takes only a couple of minutes. The therapist will leave the room to deliver and monitor your treatment.

Treatment

During treatment, the machine will move around your body. You won’t feel anything. It’s much like having an x-ray. Sometimes the specific area of skin receiving treatment, can get tender and sunburned, your healthcare team will want to know if you are experiencing any burning or discomfort during your treatment. Your healthcare team will guide you with proper care of your skin.

Treatment Time

Typically the treatment takes about 10-15 minutes.

Potential Side Effects

The most common side effect is fatigue – it is very important to get plenty of rest and adequate nutrition. Generally, you will see your doctor weekly. We are always available if you need us.