External beam radiation therapy is the type most commonly used in oncology. For this type of radiation therapy, you lie on a table and receive a dose of radiation from a linear accelerator, a device that allows radioactive beams to penetrate your body. 3-D conformal radiation therapy is a type of external radiation therapy that allows beams of radiation to penetrate both the inside and the outside of your tumors. Internal radiation therapy uses radioactive implants to deliver radiation directly to the site of your tumor. Radiopharmaceutical drugs also send radiation directly to the site of the tumor.
Radiation Therapy For Cancer
Using ionized energy to kill cells, radiation therapy is used by half of all patients to treat cancer.
Radiation kills cancer cells by damaging their genetic material beyond repair, causing them to breakdown and die. Both short- and long-term side effects, such as hair and memory loss, can occur when the therapy kills healthy cells.
Different types of radiation exist. When a machine outside the body delivers it, it is called external-beam radiation therapy. If radioactive materials are placed inside the body, it is called internal radiation therapy, or brachytherapy. You can also receive an injection of radioactive iodine, which travels through the body to kill cancer cells, a treatment called systemic radiation therapy.
When cancer cant be cured, radiation therapy can be used to shrink tumors to make life more comfortable for a patient. Doctors may use radiation treatments alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy, which uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Recently Answered
-
1 AnswerA
PearlPoint Cancer Support answeredYou may want to ask your doctor these questions before having radiation therapy for cancer:
- Why do I need this treatment?
- When will the treatments begin? How often will they be given? When will they end?
- How will I feel during treatment? Will I be able to continue my normal activities?
- Will there be side effects? How long will they last?
- Can radiation therapy cause side effects later on?
- What can I do to take care of myself during treatment?
- How will we know if the radiation treatment is working?
- How often will I need checkups?
-
2 AnswersA
PearlPoint Cancer Support answeredSee All 2 Answers
External-beam radiation therapy is used to treat cancer. With external-beam radiation therapy, the radiation comes from outside your body. It is targeted at a specific area of the body. This therapy usually consists of daily treatments over several weeks. A machine called a linear accelerator (LINAC) is the most common machine used to give external-beam radiation. The most common type of external-beam radiation is three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). This uses computer software to direct the radiation to a very precise area of the body. There are many other forms of external-beam radiation therapy. Your radiologist will know which is right for you.
-
1 AnswerA
PearlPoint Cancer Support answered
Systemic radiation therapy is used to treat cancer. With this type of therapy, the person with cancer swallows or receives injections of radioactive substance. This substance helps destroy cancer cells throughout the body. Radioactive iodine, a specific type of systemic radiation, is commonly used for thyroid cancer. Other types of systemic radiation may be used for hematological cancers.
-
3 AnswersA
PearlPoint Cancer Support answeredSee All 3 Answers
Radiation therapy is also called radiotherapy or just radiation. It is a very effective way to destroy cancer cells. As defined by the National Cancer Institute, radiation is the use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons and other sources to kill and shrink tumors. Radiation can be delivered in three ways:
- External-beam radiation therapy
- Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy)
- Systemic radiation therapy
-
1 AnswerA
TriStar Centennial Medical Center answeredThe cyber knife is a particular type of radiation delivery device. It's a linear accelerator mounted on the end of a robotic arm that allows an amazing amount of flexibility in how the machine can deliver radiation; it has the precision of a surgeon's scalpel. Cyber knife is often used when treating brain and prostate cancers. Its imaging and computer systems are so sophisticated that it can even be used for some lung cancers, guiding the radiation in while the person breathes and the lung tumor moves.
Cyber knife's precision and focus often mean that treatment plans that traditionally lasted two months can now be reduced to four or five treatments and completed in less than one week. Doctors can be so specific with the radiation delivery that they can avoid nearby critical structures, keeping them from receiving a dangerous dose of radiation. This reduces the risk of both complications and side effects.
-
1 AnswerA
CyberKnife surgery is not the same as Gamma Knife surgery, but they're very similar. Radiosurgery is the umbrella term. If you receive radiation in a lot of fractions, it is called radiotherapy. But if you receive it in five fractions or fewer, it is called radiosurgery. It is exactly the same radiation tactic, but the differing number of fractions will determine if it is called radiosurgery or radiotherapy.
There are different kinds of branding for radiosurgery and radiotherapy. One of them, the oldest and most well studied, is Gamma Knife. CyberKnife surgery is another kind of radiosurgery or radiotherapy. It's essentially just a different brand name although a very similar procedure.
-
1 AnswerA
Penn Medicine answeredRadiation therapy offers you a noninvasive cancer treatment option. There's no pain during the procedure (though some people with physical limitations may experience some discomfort when positioned), very little noise and no time spent inside small, confining spaces, as with some technology.
At the start of each session, a radiation therapist will spend 5 to 15 minutes positioning you for treatment and setting up the equipment as instructed by the radiation oncologist. X-rays are taken to ensure that you are in the proper treatment position. Once you are in position, the therapist will enter the control room next door. From here, you are monitored throughout the treatment on a television screen and via voice communication. Should you have any concerns, or feel sick or uncomfortable, this may be expressed to the radiation therapist using the microphone located in the treatment room.
Depending on your individual circumstances, a course of radiation therapy usually runs five days a week for several weeks. Generally, a session runs for about an hour each day, with the actual radiation therapy session lasting 15 to 30 minutes.
You are seen at least once a week by your oncologist. During this appointment, the radiation oncologist evaluates your response to treatment. As needed, the amount of radiation administered to you is altered based on the radiation oncologist's observations. Blood work and X-rays may also be ordered to see how your body is responding to treatment. If your tumor shrinks significantly, another simulation may be required. This allows adjustments to be made to the treatment so that the rest of the tumor is destroyed while sparing even more normal tissue.
-
1 AnswerA
Sigma Nursing answeredAccelerated radiation therapy is a type of radiation treatment in which the total dose of radiation is given over a shorter period of time (fewer days) compared to standard radiation therapy.
This answer is based on source information from the National Cancer Institute.
-
2 AnswersA
LIVESTRONG answeredSee All 2 AnswersAfter effects from radiation therapy may occur because of permanent damage to normal cells or to structures of the body that are either right in or close to the area exposed to radiation (the field or radiation port).
Radiation treatment is administered to a specific place in the body. after effects occur only in the area of the body that was exposed to the radiation (known as local effects).
In some cases, X-rays in the intended field may scatter and expose surrounding tissues and organs to small doses of radiation. Depending on the position of a tumor, it could also be necessary to include healthy tissue and organs in the field in order to ensure complete treatment of the cancer.
Some radiation after effects may be similar to those caused by chemotherapy.
Examples of after effects that are specific to radiation include:
- Cataracts, if treated near the eyes, cranial-spinal or if given Total Body Irradiation (TBI))
- Permanent hair loss if the scalp is radiated over certain dose levels
- Dental decay, tooth loss, receding gums if radiated near the mouth
- Loss of tears and the ability to produce saliva if lacrimal or salivary glands in the face are radiated or there has been TBI
- Problems with thyroid and adrenal glands if the neck is radiated
- Slowed or halted bone growth in children if bone is radiated
- Affects on the pituitary gland and multiple hormonal effects if the hypothalamic-pituitary region is radiated
- Decreased range of motion in the treated area
- Skin sensitivity to sun exposure in area of skin that is radiated
- Problems with the bowel system if the abdomen is radiated
- Secondary cancers in the areas radiated
- Infertility, if ovaries, testes, cranial-spinal area or TBI is directly radiated