David Mattson Jr, MD

Radiation Therapy for Uterine Cancer

ACR Radiation Oncology Accreditation Seal

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, is an important part of the treatment plan for many patients with uterine cancer. This type of treatment uses high-energy radiation waves or particles to destroy cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Radiation therapy may be incorporated into your treatment to kill cancer cells after surgery, shrink tumors before surgery, prevent recurrence and relieve symptoms caused by the cancer, such as pain and bleeding.

Radiation therapy may be recommended for you to:

  • reduce the risk of the cancer recurring
  • treat cancer that has spread beyond the uterus
  • treat cancer if surgery won’t be able to remove all of the cancer

Several types of radiation therapy are used for uterine cancer and you may have more than one of these through the course of your treatment:

  • External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT). This treatment approach uses a large machine called a linear accelerator to generate and direct the radiation to the precise tumor location in the body. The dose of radiation you’ll receive is divided into fractions so that you’ll receive these fractions over several days and weeks. For example, you might receive radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks.
  • Brachytherapy. A form of internal radiation therapy, this treatment uses a radioactive seed within the body to deliver radiation to the tumor site. In endometrial cancer treatment, cylinder brachytherapy guides the seed placement within the vagina several weeks after undergoing surgery to remove the uterus.

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