Radiotherapy for metastatic breast cancer

Radiotherapy treatment can be helpful for some people with metastatic breast cancer. Doctors may recommend it to reduce the size of the cancer or to help manage side effects.

It can reduce pain or discomfort in the bones and skin and treat breast cancer in the brain.

Usually, you have a short course of 1 to 10 treatments and side effects are often limited. 

Radiotherapy continues to work after the treatment has finished. Most people experience relief, but you may need to wait a couple of weeks before you start to feel the benefits.

Many people with metastatic breast cancer report that their pain eases completely after treatment.

Radiotherapy can have side effects. Depending on which part of your body is treated, these can include: 

• tiredness (fatigue) 
• skin reactions 
• nausea and vomiting.

Talk to your treating team if you need advice or support with side effects. Find out more about Side effects of radiotherapy and how to reduce them. 

Radiation is a ‘local’ treatment that targets and treats a specific part of the body where breast cancer cells are present.

Read more About radiotherapy.