Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells in a specific area of the body.

External beam radiation therapy is the type of radiation therapy often used to treat stomach cancer. This treatment focuses the radiation on the cancer from a machine outside the body. Having this type of radiation therapy is like having an x-ray, except that each treatment lasts longer, and the patient usually receives 5 treatments per week over a period of weeks or months.

After surgery, radiation therapy can be used to kill very small remnants of the cancer that cannot be seen and removed during surgery. Radiation therapy -- especially when combined with chemotherapy drugs such as 5-FU -- may delay or prevent cancer recurrence after surgery and may help patients live longer. Radiation therapy can also be used to ease the symptoms of advanced stomach cancer, such as pain, bleeding, and eating problems.

Side effects from radiation therapy for stomach cancer can include:

• mild skin problems at the site where the radiation was aimed
• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea
• fatigue
• low blood cell counts

These usually go away within several weeks after the treatment is finished. When radiation is given with chemotherapy, side effects are often worse. Please be sure to talk with your doctor about any side effects you have, because there are often ways to relieve them. It is also very important that you get treated at a center that has extensive experience in treating stomach cancer.

Last Medical Review: 11/03/2009
Last Revised: 11/03/2009