The Pros And Cons Of Radiation Therapy

In radiation therapy, certain treatment plans require a water-equivalent material called a bolus to raise the maximum dose buildup (Dmax) closer to the surface of the skin. One of the most common materials used to create this more superficial treatment dose is a commercial product called Superflab. Superflab is a manufactured vinyl gel material that is uniform in thickness, easy to cut, and reusable (Radiation Products Inc, 2010). Therapists use other materials in clinical settings, but there is currently very little research available comparing alternative bolus materials and their respective Dmax values. The limited amount of research that is available look at different materials such as wet gauze and other similar materials for their easy,

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

I have always been interested in the medical field. My father is a physiotherapist and my mother has a bachelorette in Microbiology and is a laboratory technologist. I have grown up having science-themed discussions around the dinner table and books lying around the house. With the experience of my parents at their respected professions, I did not have the feeling that these paths were the correct fit for me. I liked the hands on side of physiotherapy but I wanted something more technology related. I searched the medical field for a career that combined my fascination for both human science and technology in addition to being able to interact with patients. My research on Radiation Therapy instantly established a thought that this is a career

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.

In Year 8, a radiotherapist came into my school with a request - to help him develop a game to explain the process of radiotherapy to his patients. I decided to help out of curiosity, thinking that it would be interesting and that I'd learn something new. It was during the development process that I learnt my first lines of Python - which I now use extensively for my programs. That experience fueled my fascination with technology and its impact on the world around me, watching how the application of computing in other fields has bettered the lives of others.

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

My patient currently had breast cancer, after receiving radiation therapy. She started to have issues with the quality of saliva production. She is having difficulties with dry mouth, or in other words xerostomia, caused by the radiation therapy given to the head and neck area. It is not uncommon that patients receiving radiation therapy to the head and neck area experience a decrease in saliva flow. Studies have shown that saliva flow during radiation therapy actually increases, due to the salivary glands being irritated by the radiation; however, once treatment has ended the salivary glands are relieved and decrease (OncoLink, 2014). The saliva dramatically decreases leaving the individual with temporary or permanent xerostomia. Enzymes in

Radiation therapy is a type of treatment modality that administers radiation to patients with cancer. This form of treatment has many components that contribute toward ensuring the malignant tissue within the body is being adequately treated. One of the major components in radiation therapy is the use of bolus. Bolus is a material placed on the skin to help bring the radiation dose higher to the skin surface within the patient (Khan 2012). Since there are no research studies in the radiation oncology field which compare alternative bolus materials in providing maximum dose build-up, the purpose of this study is to close this informational gap by comparing the following types of bolus: Superflab, neon-green Play-Doh, orange Play-Doh, and uncooked rice.

Chemotherapy uses drugs that are designed to slow or stop the division of cancer cells. It targets cells that are in the process of dividing into two new cells and kills them, some drugs destroy the cell's control center and kills the cell, and some disrupts the chemical processes in cell division. Side effects of chemotherapy include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and low red blood cell numbers. Because chemotherapy kills rapidly dividing cells like cancer, other normal cells that divide rapidly are also killed. Hair, bone marrow, and skin cells are constantly dividing to grow more hair, produce red blood cells, and replace dead skin cells. Radiation therapy uses targeted energy like x rays or radioactive substances to kill or shrink tumors. There are three types of radiation therapy delivery methods. External beam radiation therapy uses an external machine that directs radiation onto cancer cells. Internal radiation therapy uses radioactive material that is placed directly or near a tumor with a catheter. Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance that is swallowed or injected and travels through the bloodstream and locates and kills cancer cells. Side effects of radiation therapy depend on which part of the body the treatment is applied, some common general side effects are fatigue, and itching, blistering, or peeling of the skin. In the head and neck it can cause tooth decay, and mouth and gum sores, in the chest it can cause radiation pneumonitis, which causes a cough and fever, and radiation fibrosis, which is scarring of the lungs caused by untreated radiation pneumonitis. Radiation therapy causes side effects because high doses of radiation is applied to areas of the body which kill cancer cells, but also damages healthy cells near the treatment

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.

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.

It seems now that everything is a link to cancer. However, while some reports have been perplexed, there is one report that seems to have merit. The statistics found states there is a link between the two. According to the findings there are three that supports this argument, high levels of ionizing radiation, high beam from radiation cause damage to cancer cells, and lastly it can be linked because of risks of health effects.

It seems now that everything is a link to cancer. However, while some reports have been perplexed, there is one report that seems to have merit. The statistics found states there is a link between radiation and cancer. According to the findings there are three reasonings that support this argument, high levels of ionizing radiation, high beam from radiation cause damage to cancer cells, and lastly it can be linked because of risks of health effects.