Sunday, May 17, 2009

Skin Cancer Radiation Therapy

By Matt Hellstrom

Sometimes skin cancer is resilient, and will either keep returning, or resist treatment. When this occurs, an alternative is to use x-ray radiation to eliminate the cancer calls. This treatment requires multiple visits over a period of time. The X-ray treatment is repeated until the cancer is completely destroyed.

Radiation is not a preferred treatment for skin cancer. In some cases, however, no other treatment will be effective. There are many cases in which the patient's condition and other factors will require radiation treatment to be used against skin cancers. There are several reasons why a patient afflicted with skin cancer may seek radiation treatment. One possibility is that the patient has inherent medical or health risks that would prevent them from other types of treatment.

The area where the skin cancer is either too large or in an area that is not conducive to treatment with surgery are other reasons that radiation treatment might be sought. It is always possible that a skin cancer has been treated but is reoccurring frequently.

Many tough skin cancers have been effectively treated by this means. One class of patients had been suffering a 50% recurrence rate for their skin cancers, and radiation cut this probability in half to 25%.

There are some risks to treating skin cancer with radiation, however. You may develop new skin cancers in the area that surround the affected area. If the skin cancer reoccurs after the treatment it may be that much harder to treat because of the radiation. And you might experience damage to your healthy skin in the same area.

Many possible side effects must be kept in mind as you think of skin cancer radiation treatment. Fatigue, nausea, hair loss, and redness are all possible experiences. When the treatment is stopped, though, such effects will usually dissipate.

If you are thinking about this type of treatment for your skin cancer, chances are your doctor has gone over these side effects and possible risks. You will need to consider your own situation very carefully to determine if this is the correct course of treatment for you. Skin cancer radiation treatment may not be your only option and you should make sure that your doctor has gone over every other possible solution.

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