Radiation Therapy And Its Effects On Cancer

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

It is the use of high-powered x-rays that destroy tumor cells. A radiation oncologist is the doctor who specializes in radiation therapy. There are two types of radiation therapy: 1.) external-beam radiation which is given from a machine outside the body and 2.) internal radiation which is given using implants. The external-beam radiation therapy is much more common than internal radiation. It can be directed at the tumor in many ways such as conventional radiation therapy, 3 dimensional conformal radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, proton therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery. Choosing one of these techniques depends on the size and location of the

cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Lastly targeted therapy, is the treatment that uses drugs and other substances to attack cancer cells. Some of these treatments are standard and others are being clinically tested in clinical trials. Patients may enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment. Follow-up tests may be needed.

In radiation therapy, d-max is a very important factor when a patient’s treatment is being planned. According to Washington and Leaver (2010), the d-max is defined as the depth at which the radiation beam is at its maximum dose. Different energies produce a different d-max, and to properly treat the tumor, dosimetrists and radiation oncologists must be aware of each depth of maximum dose. When a doctor’s radiation therapy prescription calls for more superficial treatments, it can be hard to find an appropriate energy due to the fact that the energy can max out too deep within the patient. The use of bolus will raise the d-max, or bring the d-max closer to the surface. Bolus will attenuate some of the radiation and in turn

The process of radiation therapy uses small amounts of very high-energy radiation to destroy the cancerous cells, making them unable to reproduce. "About 60% of all patients with cancer receive radiation therapy for curative intent, tumor control, or palliation of

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

Radiation in general can be considered as double-edged sword because it may cause cancer, and at the same time it may be considered as an effective modality to treat it.

Radiation therapy is an important practice in a lot of hospital and clinics many people are not aware of. It is also known as Radiation Oncology, and it is for the treatment of cancer by using beams of high-energy waves called radiation as the UI Cancer Information Services defined it. Radiation therapy plays important role in helping cure cancer. Radiation therapy is given to cancer patients in order to kill the cancer cells or it may slower the growth of cancer cells (UI Cancer Information Services, 2011). Therapy can be used to reduce pain or pressure by shrinking tumor, in cases where cure is not possible. There are various methods to do the therapy and patient may receive one or combination of techniques depending upon the size,

beam is red at the target site depending on the phase or displacement windows chosen

Proton therapy, also named proton beam therapy, is sort of external-beam radiation therapy that uses protons rather than x-rays. At high energy, protons can end growth cells.

Proton therapy is a form of radiation therapy that allows large doses of radiation to be aimed and delivered directly at a tumor while doing little damage to the surrounding healthy tissues. Typical radiation treatments send X-rays directly through the tumor, and passes out the other side of the body, simultaneously damaging most of the healthy tissue when entering and exiting the body. Protons slow down when they hit the body and gradually decelerate and come to a stop, depositing most of their radiation at this point, called the Bragg peak. If you force a beam of protons so that they stop just inside a tumor (which has been done), a maximum dose of radiation can be delivered while minimizing side effects and keeping nearby tissue safe.

In recent years, radiation therapy has improved tremendously. It targets tumors more accurately and minimizes damage to the surrounding

Nuclear medicine however has made it possible to treat cancer. One of the forms of cancer treatments that involve radioactive materials is radiation therapy. Radiation therapy utilizes X and gamma rays to target and kill the cancer cells. “Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Radiation can either damage the DNA directly or create charged particles in cells that in turn damage the DNA.” (“Radiation Therapy for Cancer”) Radiation therapy affects only the selected area of treatment, whereas other treatments such as chemo therapy affects the entire body. Radiation therapy can be administered two different ways. The first method of administration is internally. Radiation is injected directly into the blood stream where it travels to the cancerous area. The other method of administering radiation therapy is externally. “Many types of external-beam radiation therapy are delivered using a machine called a linear accelerator (also called a LINAC). A LINAC uses electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles. This creates high-energy radiation that may be used to treat cancer.” (“Radiation Therapy for

About one in two people born today will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime (ref 1 cancer research uk). Almost two-thirds of all cancer patients receive some form of radiation therapy during the course of treatment predominantly with external-beam photon therapy (ref 40). Proton beam therapy (PBT) is a novel form of external beam radiotherapy technique that utilises positively charged particles in cancer management (ref required). However, the idea of using charged particles for cancer treatment is not new. Robert R. Wilson was a famous American phycist who proposed that, heavy particles could be used to treat cancer (Wilson, 1946). Thereafter, in 1954, the first cancer patient was treated using PBT at the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory in America and at Uppsala in Sweden in 1957. To date, over 60 000 patients with different cancer have been treated with PBT worldwide (ref 70).

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.