Women with breast cancer are often treated with chemotherapy or radiation. Both treatments attempt to produce the same effect; either eliminate or reduce the size of the malignancy. Radiation and chemotherapy are drastically different in terms of action and side effects.
Radiation Administration
Radiation is given via a linear accelerator, which is a giant machine, or by pellets that are given internally and target the cancer cells. It is usually administered after lumpectomy, mastectomy or chemotherapy. Radiation treatment targets specific areas of the body such as the lymph nodes and tumor location.
Radiation Action on the Human Body
Radiation delivers high energy beams of light that damage the DNA of cancer cells and prevent the cells from growing or replicating. The goal is to prevent the cancer from spreading, while allowing the existing cancer cells to die.
Radiation Adverse Effects
Radiation causes your skin to burn and peel in the same way that a sunburn does. Radiation may cause your white blood cell count to drop, making you prone to infection and fatigue.
Chemotherapy Administration
Chemo is administered into the blood Intravenously in a series of treatments. You must remain at the treatment center while the chemo is being given, usually about an hour. After the first treatment, your oncologist evaluates the effectiveness of that treatment, and decide how many treatments you need.
Chemotherapy Effects on the Human Body
Chemo prevents cells from replicating, particularly cancer cells. This can reduce the size of tumors and make your breast cancer operable. It can also eliminate the cancer or put you into remission.
Chemotherapy Adverse Reactions
Chemo prevents healthy cells from rapidly replicating. This includes hair cells, fingernail cells and some skin cells such as the skin inside of your mouth. This is why chemo patients can lose their hair. White blood cell count is also greatly reduced, causing you to become prone to infection.
Tags: cancer cells, cells from, blood cell, blood cell count, breast cancer
