External Beam Radiation Therapy

External beam radiation therapy is a treatment approach that encompasses a series of outpatient treatments in which targeted radiation is delivered to areas of disease. Radiation therapy has been proven to be very successful at treating and curing the majority of lymphomas.

• Radiation oncologists deliver external beam radiation therapy to the lymphoma from a machine called a linear accelerator.
• Each treatment is painless. Once the treatment is done, there is no active radiation left behind so you are not a danger to others. Treatments are usually short and typically delivered five days a week from Monday through Friday for several weeks. Sometimes only a few treatments of radiation therapy are required.
• Involved site radiation therapy is when your doctor delivers radiation only to the parts of your body known to have the cancer. Treatments are often combined with chemotherapy, which often precedes radiation.
• Your radiation oncologist may also deliver radiation to the entire body. This is called total body irradiation. It is often done before chemotherapy and a stem cell or bone marrow transplant to eliminate any remaining diseased cells.
• Certain lymphomas involve the skin and can be treated with either focal skin radiation or total skin radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy may be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy or biologic therapy. You will work with your radiation oncologist and other specialists as a team to determine which approach is best for you.