New Breast Cancer Therapy Lowers Side Effects

A “newer type of radiation” called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) causes significantly fewer side effects versus traditional radiation therapy, according to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO). 

Standard radiation treatment for breast cancer typically involves directing radiation to the entire breast. Side effects include changes in the breast’s shape and feel, as well as skin irritations similar to a sunburn.

IMRT allows the radiation beam to be broken up into many beamlets, and the intensity of each beamlet can be adjusted individually, ASTRO said. This allows radiation oncologists to more precisely shape the beam of radiation and avoid dosing adjacent organs.