Radiation Oncologist Research Paper

Oncology is known as the study of tumors, so an oncologist would be a person that studies and treats all sorts of tumors. There are different types of oncologists within the medical field. There are medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, pediatric oncologists, and hematologist oncologists. A medical oncologist uses targeted therapy which is chemotherapy or other medications to treat cancerous tumors. A surgical oncologist would be the one who removes tumors along with any tissue near the tumor that was affected by it and then the oncologist biopsies the tumor. Radiation oncologists treat cancerous tumors using radiation therapy, gynecologic oncologists treat tumors in the female reproductive

One of the things that does make radiation tech one of the greatest jobs in the medical field is that you can start a career with only two years of education, helping others and having multiple pathways for advancement. The security in the health care field is excellent and interesting and also have good work settings. Job benefits beyond salary include health, life and disability insurance. Since radiation techs are needed pretty much everywhere around the world they have the ability to travel, which also includes the option of military

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

Radiation Therapy does not just take a strong mind, or someone with compassion; it is also is a very technical field. I have grown up loving technology and always trying to understand different ways to utilize and understand new technology. I believe this skill will help me as a Radiation Therapist as technology is always evolving. Having an aptitude and appreciation towards this, will be an asset.

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.

e. Some radiologist also treat cancer using radiation; others do surgeries

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.

Radiology is a career path that can lead to many places other than diagnostic imaging. Once I finish the program for Radiology, I have many aspirations for the future. I intend on completing my bachelors in science and enrolling in courses for CT and MRI certification. My overall goal is to go into Radiation Therapy or Nuclear Medicine in the next five years.

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.

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

I alongside with other radiation therapy students were privileged to hear Carlas’ story from a patient point of view. Her journey through being treated for breast cancer. I could feel a strong sense of conviction in her words. She stayed strong and did not waver when speaking. I was shocked yet amazed at her confidence to tell it so clearly. It was my first time receiving insight from a radiation therapist. This paper will explore the feelings I experienced during and after this time, followed by reflective practice and key characteristics as a health care professional.

Growing up in the small country like Vietnam, I have seen many of my neighbor died because of cancer due to the lacking of knowledge and technology about treatment. My first curious about cancer was when I was fifteen years old. My brother-in-law’s mother had stomach cancer. She endured chemotherapy treatments that made her body was swollen and her hair was lost. Seeing her suffering cancer pain made me want work in medical field so that I may contribute to help patients who are battling cancer.

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.

On my first ever placement block at The Canberra Cancer Centre in October 2014, as well as getting my first ever real-world glimpse into what radiation therapy actually entailed; I witnessed one of my patients experience an extremely heartbreaking family tragedy which lead me to question all of my previous assumptions of what a radiation therapist's role encompasses and also it gave me an eye-opening insight into the patients struggles we may overlook or fail to recognise. This patient's family member had sadly committed suicide interstate and the patient was convinced that her diagnosis had contributed to his demise. This experience gave me a new level of empathy for patients as I had learnt that you could never assume what's going on in their personal lives outside of the clinical setting. I had learned that when situations like this arise, I must present myself to the patient as not only a health professional but also a friend, so they feel comfortable talking to me about what support they require and so I can reassure them that everything will be okay and also that their treatment will not be compromised.