It Makes Sense!

Tonight I read two articles (links below, for the geeks like me) that helped everything I had been told about radiation come together and finally click.  Basically, the radiation is going to kill the cancer cells in my spine.  In the spaces that will then be vacated, osteoblasts will make new bone, unhindered by the osteoclasts, because they are being blocked by the Xgeva shots I'm getting.  This will, if successful, strengthen the "bad spot" in my spine and relieve the pain from the compression fracture.  While this treatment addresses the area of concern in my spine, my doctor told us that once the cancer has spread to one place, it has most certainly spread to other places.  It's just not big enough to detect on scans yet.  Hopefully, the combination of drugs and this radiation treatment will keep those places small for a long time to come!

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancers-in-general/treatment/radiotherapy/symptoms/radiotherapy-for-bone-pain

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/radiation/metastatic