What Is Radiotherapy
- Radiotherapy, types, cases in which it is used and how it is performed
- What is radiotherapy for
- What is radiotherapy for breast cancer
- What is radiotherapy cancer
- BBC NEWS | Health | What is radiotherapy?
What is Radiotherapy? Radiotherapy, also known as radiation therapy and irradiation, is the use of high-energy radiation (such as X-rays and gamma rays) to destroy cancerous tissue. It is among the most common and effective treatments for cancer. This therapy can be used as the main treatment or may be applied after the main treatment in order to destroy any cancer cells that remain. It is used in one form or another on the majority of cancer patients. Depending on the type of cancer, radiotherapy alone may work, or it may be necessary to combine it with other methods such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and surgery. The aim of this therapy depends on the cancer stage and the condition of the patient. Curate radiotherapy tries to cure cancer completely. In many cases, radiotherapy is combined with chemotherapy to make it more effective. This is called chemoradiation. Sometimes it is used before surgery ( neo-adjuvant radiotherapy). Adjuvant radiotherapy intends to reduce the risk of cancer coming back after surgery.
Radiotherapy, types, cases in which it is used and how it is performed
As research on radioactive isotopes and ionizing radiation continued, radiotherapy changed dramatically, and the modern version of this medical treatment is much safer. Radiotherapy is one of the most precise and effective treatments for brain tumors that cannot be addressed through traditional surgery. In external radiotherapy, ionizing radiation is aimed at the patient from outside the body, typically with the use of a beam which directs the radiation. Some patients are tattooed, to create a focus for the beam to target on. X-rays, gamma rays, and particle beams are all used in external radiotherapy. In internal radiotherapy, the radiation is actually inside the body, either in the form of implants which are later removed, or in ingestable or injected form. When radiotherapy is recommended for a patient, an oncologist will go over the risks and benefits carefully. One commonly voiced concern about radiotherapy is the idea that it will make the patient radioactive. This is not the case with external radiotherapy, but internal radiotherapy can in fact cause a patient to be mildly radioactive.
- Abortion recovery time
- What Is Radiotherapy? Benefits & Side Effects - TROG Cancer Research
- Radiotherapy, types, cases in which it is used and how it is performed
What is radiotherapy for
Some days after the surgery, the patient will have another surgery to remove the plaques. EXTERNAL BEAM RADIOTHERAPY In external beam radiotherapy, rays are aimed directly to the tumor from the outside of the eye using a therapy machine, which can be of different types (proton therapy, radiosurgery, linear accelerator) according to the type of tumor to be treated. Before having external radiotherapy, it may be needed to have a surgery under local anesthesia to put in small metal clips that will help to give the treatment accurately. After a few days, the administration of radiotherapy begins, which may be necessary for several consecutive days until the desired results are obtained. What can be expected after treatment? After the treatment it is possible to experience some eye discomfort. In addition to that, some hygienic tips for the eye can be followed: wash the eyelids with physiological saline and dry them carefully; avoid direct water in the eye (avoid swimming pool and sea water for a few days) avoid any friction or scratching of the eyes; The final effect of the radiation on the tumor cannot be determined until a few months later.
Typically treatments are delivered daily from Monday to Friday with breaks to allow recovery in any normal cells that might be affected by treatment. External beam radiotherapy passes through the body instantly. Internal radiotherapy delivers radiation at different rates depending on the type of cancer and recommended treatment. Low dose-rate treatment may require an overnight stay in hospital but high dose-rate treatment can usually be completed on an outpatient basis. Although radiotherapy can cause side effects, these are usually relatively short lasting. As well as tiredness, short-term side effects can include a reduction in white blood cells and consequent risk from infection, skin reactions such as itching and burning, and hair loss at the treatment site only. Most of the side effects of radiotherapy are short-lived and no longer troublesome after a few weeks or months. Longer-term side effects, for example infertility and dental problems can appear, but these are usually related to the body area that has been treated.
What is radiotherapy for breast cancer
You can usually go home soon after external radiotherapy, but you may need to stay in hospital for a few days if you have implants or radioisotope therapy. Most people have several treatment sessions, which are typically spread over the course of a few weeks. Read more about what happens during radiotherapy. Side effects of radiotherapy As well as killing cancer cells, radiotherapy can damage some healthy cells in the area being treated. This can cause some side effects, such as: sore, red skin feeling tired hair loss in the area being treated feeling sick losing your appetite a sore mouth diarrhoea Many of these side effects can be treated or prevented and most will pass after treatment stops. External radiotherapy does not make you radioactive, as the radiation passes through your body. The radiation from implants or injections can stay in your body for a few days, so you may need to stay in hospital and avoid close contact with other people for a few days as a precaution. Read more about the side effects of radiotherapy.
Radiation Therapy Can Cause Side Effects Radiation not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells, it can also affect nearby healthy cells. Damage to healthy cells can cause side effects. Learn more about the side effects of radiation therapy. How Much Radiation Therapy Costs Radiation therapy can be expensive. It uses complex machines and involves the services of many health care providers. The exact cost of your radiation therapy depends on the cost of health care where you live, what type of radiation therapy you get, and how many treatments you need. Talk with your health insurance company about what services it will pay for. Most insurance plans pay for radiation therapy. To learn more, talk with the business office at the clinic or hospital where you go for treatment. If you need financial assistance, there are organizations that may be able to help. To find such organizations, go to the National Cancer Institute database, Organizations that Offer Support Services and search for "financial assistance. "
What is radiotherapy cancer
BBC NEWS | Health | What is radiotherapy?
What's likely to happen in the future? Researchers are fine-tuning radiotherapy to improve the outcomes for patients. The main efforts focus on delivering a more powerful radiotherapy beam accurately to smaller and smaller targets. Some drugs seem to make cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation, which means less powerful radiotherapy, or fewer sessions, are needed. Another field of research is looking at heating cells in a specific area to make them more sensitive to radiotherapy.
