Cancer Is One Of The Biggest Burdens That The World Has

Radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy, is the treatment of cancer and other diseases with radiation. Radiotherapy is used when the entire primary tumor cannot be surgically removed. Radiotherapy deposits energy

From surgery to radium exposure to such extremes as radiation therapy, as doctors’ knowledge of the varying types of cancer, and the expansion of medical research regarding cancer has changed, so has the preferred method of treatment. Doctors and researchers dedicated to studying cancer have led to a greater understanding of cancer development; consequently the development of treatments and cures that are more effective, less harmful, have fewer side effects, and in some cases serve to prevent the spread of cancer.

Radiation therapy can be used anywhere in the body to treat any kind of cancer. Depending on what type of radiation therapy, it can have some side effects. The most common ones include fatigue, hair loss near the treated area, and skin darkening in the area exposed to a beam of radiation. ("Radiation Therapy for Cancer,” 1) There are also safety concerns that patients have when they are treated with radiation therapy. Many people that receive radiation therapy treatment, worry about exposing family and love ones to radiation, as well as the side effects. Radiation effects on the normal tissues are divided into acute and chronic effects (Schreiber). Acute effects occur during the course of therapy and during the post therapy period (approximately 2-3 weeks after the completion of a course of irradiation) (Schreiber).

Cancer is an incurable and unpredictable disease that, if left untreated, will likely result in death for the men, women, and children who must fight it. Sadly, approximately 36% of people will develop cancer during their lifetime, and of that percentage, fewer than 15% will survive, according to the National Cancer Institute. Along with surgery and chemotherapy, radiation is one of the few known methods for treating cancer, but it does not come without harmful side effects. While radiation therapy is currently a proven method for treating cancer, dangers to patients often outweigh its benefits, therefore a safer method for effectively treating and ultimately curing cancer.

Though often effective, radiation therapy presents unique challenges with regard to early and late treatment toxicities, thought to develop as a response to vascular

Doctors had been using radiation to destroy cancerous cells since the unfolding of X-rays and radium in the 1890s, but both techniques had their own issues. X-ray machines were complicated to make use of, and radium implanted near tumors. In addition, X-rays weren’t strong enough to be entirely effective, and as for both of them, they were quite expensive.

Cancer, like other illnesses does not discriminate. It affects the rich and the poor and anyone who is susceptible to it. According to the American Cancer Society, millions of people are diagnosed each year. With these diagnostics, there are also many deaths. This is because some people do not respond to treatment or they come in too late. There have been some cases where there are no treatments or cures for the type of cancer as well. Cancer is like a plague and it has to be stopped and it takes the job of  radiation therapists and many other oncology specialists to come together to defeat it.

Many people are living longer because of radiation therapy to treat cancer, but what happens after treatment is over? Most people go back to their normal life. However, some people will have their quality of life affected by late effects of radiation therapy. Late effects of radiation therapy can happen months or years after treatment and may be temporary or permanent. Some can be minor such as skin changes to the treated area, and some can be as serious as cardiovascular problems. As radiation therapy has become more advanced and more common in treating cancer, professionals in medicine have studied the treatments and late effects to decide what can be done to prevent late-effects from occurring.

According to Komen (2009) side effects from radiation therapy will vary related to the area treated and may include skin irritation, breast changes or swelling, fatigue, dry cough or difficulty swallowing, and lymphedema. The American Society for Clinical Oncology (2013) go on to add more specific side effects such as with the skin itching, dryness, blistering, and peeling. They also mention long term side effects such as developing a secondary cancer from the radiation treatment although the risk is low and the benefits for treating the current cancer greatly outweigh the risk. Another more site specific side effect

Radiation therapy is the use special machines to convey high-energy rays that damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. The radiation can be directed to a specific area of the body or the whole body. Some side effects that come from the therapy are fatigue, hair loss, nausea, or red, dry, itchy skin.

Radiotherapy uses high energy rays to kill the cancer cells in the area being treated.(5) X-ray beams are directed at the tumor, with no need for cutting or anesthesia.(4) Destruction of the tumor usually requires a series of treatments, administered several times a week for one to four weeks, or sometimes daily for one month.(4) Cure rates range from about 85 to 95 percent, since the technique doesn't provide accurate control in identifying and removing residual cancer cells.(4) Side effect of radiotherapy can cause the skin to become slightly red and sore during the treatment.(6) This will begin to disappear once the treatment is finished.(6) The skin may become crusty and scab over at first.(6) When the scab falls off there will be healthy skin underneath.(6) This area will be more sensitive to the sun in the future.(6) You might have some hair loss if you have radiotherapy to a part of the body that has

Radiation therapy is the ionization of atoms in tissues resulting in formation of highly reactive radicals in a well-defined, restricted volume (1). In other words, ionizing radiations are used to eradicate tumors and at the same time preserve structure and function of normal tissue. A limitation is prevented from being a problem. If bone marrow or neuronal cells are destroyed or injured, they do not regenerate. However, with radiation therapy, these cells are often saved from injury or destruction, unless the tumor is infecting bone marrow or neuronal cells. Today, radiation therapy is the most popular type of cancer therapy in use. It is used to treat one-half to two-thirds of all cancers, which translates to more than ten percent of the population

This energy that is released in this everyday phenomenon has become quiet helpful as we find uses for it in our everyday lives. Radiation has quickly become on the most influential aspects of modern medicine. One aspect of medicine that has been greatly affected by the discovery and

Radiation therapy is one of the most popular modern treatments for cancer. As a matter of fact nearly two-thirds of patients diagnosed with cancer receive radiation therapy treatment. It is very successful in treating common cancers such as breast cancer. A statistic taken by the Cancer Treatment Center of America from 2000 to 2011 states the mortality rate of breast cancer treated by radiation therapy within 6 months of initial diagnoses is 95%. However some of the side effects may include fatigue, nausea, fibrosis, diarrhea, bleeding, hair loss, memory loss, infertility, and rarely a second cancer. Also for those without medical insurance radiation therapy may cost up to $50,000. Radiation therapy is the most developed and effective treatment

In 2007, it is predicted that almost 1.5 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States (Pickle et al., 2007). More than half of these cancer patients will undergo the use of radiation as a means for treating cancer at some point during the course of their disease (Perez and Brady, 1998). Cancer, a disease caused by an uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells, affects millions of people around the world. Radiotherapy is one of the well known various methods used to treat cancer, where high powered rays are aimed directly at the tumor from the outside of the body as external radiation or an instrument is surgically placed inside the body producing a result of internal radiation. Radiation is delivered to the cancerous regions of the body to damage and destroy the cells in that area, terminating the rapid growth and division of the cells. Radiation therapy has been used by medicine as a treatment for cancer from the beginning of the twentieth century, with its earliest beginnings coming from the discovery of x-rays in 1895 by Wilhelm Röntgen. With the advancements in physics and computer programming, radiation had greatly evolved towards the end of the twentieth century and made the radiation treatment more effective. Radiation therapy is a curative treatment approach for cancer because it is successful in killing cancerous tumor cells and stop them from regenerating.