Radiation - breast cancer survivors know it well, and those recently diagnosed with the disease may be fearing it. To learn more about radiation therapy, how it works, when it's used and common side effects, keep reading.

How Radiation Therapy Works

Radiation therapy works by using high-energy, high-dose rays that either kill cancer cells completely or stop them from dividing and spreading. Because cancer cells grow and divide quickly, they're more susceptible to radiation treatments than healthy cells.

When Radiation Therapy is Used

Radiation therapy is used to treat breast cancer at almost every stage of the disease's progress. This treatment is used in stage I and stage II primary breast cancer along with surgery and, in some cases, after a mastectomy.

Radiation - Breast Cancer After A Lumpectomy

A lumpectomy is a surgical process where a cancerous lump or small tumor is removed from the breast. After this procedure, most practitioners prescribe radiation treatment to prevent an in-breast recurrence or relapse.

The risk for in-breast recurrence hovers at around 30 percent if radiation therapy is not given to the patient after a lumpectomy. Yet, if the patient receives radiation therapy, that risk is reduced to a fraction (between 5 and 10 percent).

Despite the survival benefits for radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, it's not for everyone. If you've had radiation before, suffer from a connective tissue disease like lupus or are pregnant, you should not undergo radiation therapy.

Radiation After a Mastectomy

After a full mastectomy, some doctors may still recommend radiation therapy to prevent the cancer from recurring on the chest wall. You are considered at risk for recurrence if your underarm lymph nodes test positive for cancer, you had a tumor that was larger than 5 centimeters in diameter or the cancer was dangerously close to the chest wall when it was removed.

If a patient has a very small amount of lymph nodes that test positive for cancer cells, many practitioners argue over the value of radiation therapy at all. While breast cancer survival rates may be higher, many patients suffer from other issues like heart or coronary problems caused by the radiation.

Radiation Therapy Side Effects

Radiation is cumulative - that means as your treatments progress, so do their effectiveness and your side effects.

In general, the most noticeable side effect is fatigue - constantly feeling tired, weak and unable to tackle daily tasks. If you're heading into an upcoming course of radiation therapy treatments, you may want to consider taking time off your job or simply reduce your workload both at the office and at home.

Other symptoms are itching, general skin irritation, redness, peeling, soreness, swelling and other common symptoms associated with localized radiation. Breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy often compare it to a severe, but very small sunburn. The good news is that when the treatment comes to a conclusion, the symptoms gradually diminish.