Electron therapy or Electron Beam Therapy (EBT) is a kind of external beam radiotherapy

External beam radiotherapy

External beam radiotherapy or teletherapy is the most common form of radiotherapy. The patient sits or lies on a couch and an external source of radiation is pointed at a particular part of the body...

 where electrons are directed to a tumor

Tumor

A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...

 site.

Equipment

Electron beam therapy is performed using a medical linear accelerator. This device can also be used to produce high energy photon beams. When electrons are required, the x-ray target is retracted out of the beam and the electron beam is collimated with a piece of apparatus known as an applicator or an additional collimating insert, constructed from a low melting point alloy.

Properties

Electron beams have a finite range, after which the dose falls off rapidly. Therefore they spare deeper healthy tissue. The depth of the treatment is selected by the appropriate energy.

Indications

Electron beam therapy is used in the treatment of superficial tumors like cancer of skin regions, or total skin (e.g. mycosis fungoides

Mycosis fungoides

-External links:* * *...

), diseases of the limbs (e.g. melanoma

Melanoma

Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...

 and lymphoma

Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...

), nodal irradiation, and it may also be used to boost the radiation dose to the surgical bed after mastectomy

Mastectomy

Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer...

 or lumpectomy

Lumpectomy

Lumpectomy is a common surgical procedure designed to remove a discrete lump, usually a benign tumor or breast cancer, from an affected man or woman's breast...

. For deeper regions Intraoperative electron radiation therapy might be applied.

See also

• Intraoperative Electron Radiation Therapy (IOERT) IOERT
• External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) EBRT