More than half of people who are diagnosed with cancer are treated with radiation therapy at some point in their care. Radiation therapy, also known as radiation treatment, irradiation or radiotherapy, uses penetrating beams of high-energy waves or streams of particles to kill cancer cells and treat disease.
Like taking a chest X-ray, radiation therapy is a quick and painless procedure. Radiation therapy can be used to treat virtually any type of cancer, most commonly those that affect the lungs, prostate, breasts or rectum. Benign conditions can also be treated with radiation therapy, including thyroid eye disease and exaggerated scars called keloids.
“Radiation therapy is an incredibly successful tool in the treatment of cancer. It can be used to precisely target a tumor in a specific area of the body. In some cases, radiation therapy eliminates the need for chemotherapy, which has an impact on the entire body,” says Carol Kornmehl, MD, radiation oncologist at Summit Health.
But Dr. Kornmehl says that unfortunately, there are often misconceptions about radiation therapy, leading to confusion and anxiety surrounding the procedure. Here are four myths about radiation therapy that she wants patients considering the treatment for themselves or a loved one to know.
Myth: Radiation therapy causes hair loss.
Fact: Radiation therapy does not cause full-body hair loss. Since radiation therapy is a local treatment, it only affects the treated area. This is different from chemotherapy, which is distributed throughout the entire body.
Patients who receive radiation therapy to their heads will likely lose hair in those areas of the scalp. However, they will not lose hair in other parts of the body. Similarly, radiation therapy to the pelvis can cause pubic hair loss, but not the loss of scalp hair. Generally, this hair loss is not permanent, as hair usually regrows after low-dose radiation therapy.
Myth: People going through radiation therapy are radioactive.
Fact: Most radiation therapy is delivered through external beam radiation therapy. This means the person is treated on a high-tech X-ray machine, called a linear accelerator. No radiation is delivered from within the patient's body.
The way external beam radiotherapy is delivered can be compared to a light bulb that is either on or off. When the person is receiving the treatment, there is radioactivity in the treatment room. Once the beam is turned off, there is no further radioactivity. However, a minority of people who receive radioactive pills, injections or implants are temporarily radioactive until the radioactive material decays. To minimize radiation exposure to others, such patients are instructed to take specific precautions.
Myth: Radiation therapy commonly causes nausea and vomiting.
Fact: Radiation therapy only affects the sites of the body being treated. If the patient's stomach and intestinal area are not part of the treatment area, they will not experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea from the treatment.
Myth: Radiation therapy is painful and causes a lot of side effects.
Fact: Radiation therapy is a painless process that is often compared to taking a chest x-ray. It is performed in either a specialized office or hospital. The actual treatment takes place in a highly shielded, spacious room that houses a linear accelerator.
The side effects a patient will experience depend on the radiation dose and the body part that is treated. The patient's radiation oncologist — a highly trained physician who prescribes the person's treatment — will explain any potential adverse effects to the patient during their first meeting, which is called a consultation.
What to expect during radiation therapy
The radiation therapists position the patient for treatment on the firm, metal table of the linear accelerator. The team then steps out of the room to deliver the actual treatment, while closely watching the patient on a closed-circuit TV and communicating with the patient through an intercom. Setting up the patient usually takes five minutes or less and the actual treatment duration is similar. Treatments are usually administered daily, Monday through Friday, for as little as one week to as many as nine weeks, depending on the prescribed treatment.
Radiation therapy at Summit Health
Our radiology oncology teams are made up of compassionate, highly trained, and experienced physicians, technical staff, and nurses. Summit Health has eight separate radiation oncology offices, with locations in Berkeley Heights, Cherry Hill, Clifton, Florham Park, Lawrenceville, Saddle Brook and West Orange, NJ, as well as Rye, NY. Every location has state-of-the-art equipment and each patient receives an individualized treatment plan reviewed by a team of specialists. To learn more click here.