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Radiation Therapy

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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 …show more content…

The earliest description of cancer was found in ancient Egyptian literature. The ancient Egyptian text dates all the way back to 3000 years ago. Though the document never uses the term cancer. This document, known as the Edwin Smith Papyrus, is a copy of an ancient Egyptian book for trauma surgery. It describes 8 cases of breast cancer that were cauterized with something called a firedrill. However these cases can not be technically confirmed. The first ancient confirmed case was not discovered until 2014. The skeleton of a young man from ancient Egypt, around approximately 1200 BC, was discovered in North Sudan and is now confirmed to have had cancer. Researchers are fascinated to see cancer take roots in the far distant past. Cancer is commonly seen as a modern disease caused by modern technology. However these findings may contribute to the extinction of that theory. The word cancer itself originates from ancient Greece. First used by the Greek physician Hippocrates, known as the “Father …show more content…

However something it has in common with lung cancer is that when treated only about 50% of cases are actually seeking curing the disease. Instead they attempt to improve life quality. Radiation therapy for brain cancer patients is commonly used after a biopsy, or following surgical resection of a tumor, to destroy any microscopic tumor cells left behind. It may also be an option for unresectable brain tumors or metastatic brain tumors.The specifics of your brain cancer radiation therapy plan will be based on several factors, including the type and size of the brain tumor and the extent of disease. External beam radiation is commonly used for brain cancer. The area radiated typically includes the tumor and an area surrounding the tumor. For metastatic brain tumors, radiation is sometimes given to the entire

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