Radiation plays a major role in the detection and treatment of breast cancer through mammograms and radiation therapy. Cancer, or tumors, are malignant growths which do not function like a normal cell. Instead, they grow uncontrollably unchecked by normal cell checkpoints. Without growing limits, the cancerous cells eventually kill normal cells by depriving them of nutrition. Malignant tumors also are unspecialized and do not function like the normal cells from the organ which they come from. The main problems with cancer cells are that they invade surrounding tissues and can spread by the lymph system or blood to other tissues and organs throughout the body.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women - behind lung cancer (www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0808808.html). White non-Hispanic women have the highest rate of breast cancer, over twice the rate for Hispanic women. The lowest rates occur among Korean, American Indian, and Vietnamese women (www.cancer.gov). Breast cancer has been on the rise, but now due to more effective treatment mortality rates are slowly beginning to decrea

There are a variety of small side effects from radiation therapy. Unlike chemotherapy, radiation therapy does not cause the patient to loose her hair. The most common side effect is skin reactions. Skin reacts to the radiation much as it would to sunburn. This includes: slight pink color, itching, and possible peeling. Another common side effect is fatigue. This fatigue can last for weeks after the radiation is finished. Most women will notice fullness, swelling, and stiffness in their breasts. The breast will also appear smaller because of the tissue that was removed during the biopsy or lumpectomy. The tenderness should improve gradually. A big problem with young women is that they will probably not be able to nurse their children. The radiation therapy causes the breast to no longer produce significant milk. Finally, heart attacks used to be more common because of the large doses of radiation given to the heart. Today, technology is so advanced that the dose given does not affect hearts nearly as much as it used to. One study found that friends and family had the biggest positive effect on women during and after radiation therapy (Wegnstrom et al). Being hopeful and keeping an optimistic attitude also had an extremely powerful effect on the improvement of the women in this study.

The second type of radiation used is radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is localized therapy that is designed to kill breast cancer cells that are left over from surgery. For most cancers, radiation therapy significantly reduces the possibility of cancer recurring. There are typically two types of treatment for breast cancer: breast-conserving surgery and modified radical mastectomy. Breast conserving surgery or lumpectomy is the removal of just the tumor from the breast. Modified radical mastectomy (MRM) is the total removal of the breast. Radiation therapy with lumpectomy is the standard therapy for early stage breast cancer sine the 1970's (Small and Lurie). Breast conserving surgery followed

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