If uterine (endometrial) cancer has spread to the opening of the uterus or beyond, your cancer care team may recommend radiation therapy — using x-rays or other high-energy waves — in addition to surgery and chemotherapy to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

We may advise that radiation be applied externally or internally — or both — through one of the following approaches.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

With IMRT we deliver external radiation therapy over a period of several weeks. Our radiation therapists can safely shape pencil-thin radiation beams of varying intensity to conform to specific tumor outlines and sizes, reducing the dosage of radiation to healthy tissues and possibly the side effects of treatment.

Brachytherapy

In high-dose brachytherapy, radioactive material in tiny tubes is implanted through the vagina directly to any vaginal tissue remaining after surgery. Brachytherapy may be used in combination with IMRT.