Radiotherapy - One World Essay

Cancer is defined as the abnormal, uncontrolled division of cells in the body. This uncontrollable growth causes a growth or tumour on the body. The tumours that are formed can either be benign or malignant. Malignant tumours can attack other cells and destroy them. Cancer has been around for ages and millions of people have died from cancer. There are many types of cancer and there are different reasons why people get cancer. Luckily, there are many treatments in place to help people who have cancer. Some popular options for treating cancer would be surgically removing the tumour or growth, or undergoing radiation therapy or chemotherapy. These treatments are commonly used amongst patients who have cancer. Alternatively there is another treatment that could be used to cure cancer, Proton Therapy. Proton Therapy works by directing a strong dose of radiation to the cancerous tumour (Advanced Particle Therapy, n.d.). In this essay, the advantages and disadvantages of Proton Therapy will be discussed in

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

Furthermore, X-ray of higher energy than required for imaging is used for radiation therapy. The radiation therapy makes use of ionization radiation (and no images) for the treatment of diseases, such as

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.

There are several ways radiation therapy can be delivered. Radiation therapy can be external or internal. The most common way is by external radiation in which a radiation is directed at the tumor from a machine (Dollinger, Rosenbaum 62). Internal or systemic radiotherapy delivers radiation by giving a radioactive source intravenously or by injection (62). Depending on the type of cancer, some people are treated with both types of therapy.

Thanks to him, the university received Canada’s first betatron in 1948. The betatron made use of magnets to speed up electrons to an energy level of 25-million electron volts. This created powerful X-rays that had the ability to be used for cancer treatment, however extensive usage of the machine was impossible due to the fact that it was too costly, and the X-rays it composed weren't always powerful enough to reach tumors that were deep inside of the

External Beam Therapy or (EBT) is a method for externally delivering radiation to a tumor. Beams are directed at a tumor and these high powered X-Rays can deliver radiation to the area of the tumor killing cancer cells but also healthy cells in that area as well. Although with careful planning doctors can spare the surrounding normal tissue keeping the minimal amount of healthy cells from dying around

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.

    Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply out of control and gradually build a mass of tissue called a tumor. There has been a large amount of research dedicated to the treatment and cure of cancer. Several types of treatments have been developed. The following are just some of the major examples of cancer therapy: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, biorhythms, unconventional treatments, and hyperthermia. Each type of treatment is discussed in detail below.

Radiation comes in different forms and is around us all day sometimes dangerous other times not. Radiation can be used under various categories such as communication, science and medical usage. The main focus surrounding these groups is medical because it is used to findings, test and analyze both treatments and research. Radiation uses X-rays and gamma rays for medical use. For example, X- rays are used identify if bones are fracture or broken. X-rays is usually used during radiology with specialized equipment like computerized tomography, cardiology, mammography and magnetic resonance imagining. Radiation is also used for treatment of diseases or cancer known as therapy. Oncology

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.

     Radiation is another type of treatment. Radiation therapy uses a special machine to deliver high energy rays that damage cancer cells and stop then from growing. These rays may be detected in the entire body, or they may be focused on certain area where leukemia cells are collecting.( Disease facts and statistics, 30)

First, radiation can damage the normal cells in the body, and depending on the location, it can effect a person’s ability to perform certain tasks. For example, radiation to the abdomen or pelvis can lead to bowel, bladder, infertility, or sexual problems. According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, “…only 28% of men with normal erectile function maintained normal erectile function after therapy.” This means a shocking 72% of men who received radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer weren’t able to function as easily as before. Radiation can also cause fluid build-up and swelling in certain parts of the body; this is called lymphedema. Furthermore, radiation treatment has been linked to an increased probability of developing a second cancer due to the negative effects of radiation. The subsequent cancer is caused by damage inflicted upon the healthy tissue, and may develop years after treatment, however, over many years scientists have refined and improved radiation therapy to reduce the probability of this. Luis Munoz, M.D., a radiation oncologist at Texas Oncology-Medical City of Dallas testified to this saying, “Today radiation therapy is faster, safer, and more precise for patients than ever

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.

Linear accelerators utilise light in a different manner. This technology utilises high Radio-Frequency electromagnetic waves to accelerate charged particles inside of a tube which directs these particles to collide with a heavy metal target. The results of these collisions is the release of x-rays in the form of light as photons which are then directed to the patient's tumor.