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
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See All 4 AnswersA radiation oncologist treats cancer patients using radiation. In this video, Afshin Rashtian, MD, of Riverside Community Hospital, describes the type of training needed for this position.
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Dr. Daniel A. Nader, DO , Pulmonary Disease, answered on behalf of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)See All 2 AnswersStereotactic body radiosurgery is a very precise way to use high-dose radiation therapy to a limited target, which may be very effective in managing lung cancer. Its advantages are the utilization of high doses of radiation to a limited target area, sparing surrounding healthy tissue. -
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Aurora Health Care answeredCone beam computed tomography (CBCT or cone beam CT) involves the use of a CT scanner built into the linear accelerator. Images taken just prior to radiation treatment allow the radiation oncologist to correct any variation between intended and actual setup position. CT is anatomically more detailed than x-rays -- and sometimes cone beam CT is used instead of x-ray imaging when extreme precision of treatment is needed. -
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Aurora Health Care answeredImage-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) refers to an x-ray taken just prior to your radiation treatment, which confirms the correct position of the radiation field. This daily imaging allows for any small positional corrections and allows the radiation oncologist to use smaller treatment fields to treat your cancer, reducing the risk of side effects. IGRT may use two-dimensional on-board imaging or three-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CT). IGRT is especially helpful in treating prostate cancer because the prostate is located close to the bladder and rectum. By imaging the prostate fields daily, normal tissue is spared greatly, and the radiation dose to the prostate cancer can be safely increased, improving the chance of cancer cure.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answeredSee All 3 AnswersExternal 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.
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Riverside Cancer Care Center answeredSee All 5 AnswersRadiation therapy (also called radiotherapy, x-ray therapy, or irradiation) is the use of a certain type of energy (called ionizing radiation) to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy injures or destroys cells in the area being treated (the "target tissue") by damaging their genetic material, making it impossible for these cells to continue to grow and divide. Although radiation damages both cancer cells and normal cells, most normal cells can recover from the effects of radiation and function properly. The goal of radiation therapy is to damage as many cancer cells as possible, while limiting harm to nearby healthy tissue.
There are different types of radiation and different ways to deliver the radiation. For example, certain types of radiation can penetrate more deeply into the body than can others. In addition, some types of radiation can be very finely controlled to treat only a small area (an inch of tissue, for example) without damaging nearby tissues and organs. Other types of radiation are better for treating larger areas.
In some cases, the goal of radiation treatment is the complete destruction of an entire tumor. In other cases, the aim is to shrink a tumor and relieve symptoms. In either case, doctors plan treatment to spare as much healthy tissue as possible.About half of all cancer patients receive some type of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy may be used alone or in combination with other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or surgery. In some cases, a patient may receive more than one type of radiation therapy.
This answer is based on source information from the National Cancer Institute
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Dr. Michael S. Porrazzo, MD , Radiation Oncology, answered on behalf of Spotsylvania Regional Medical CenterIn this video, Michael Porrazzo, MD from Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center explains accelerated breast radiation treatment in terms of convenience and effectiveness for patients.
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Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center answered
Accelerated-fraction radiation therapy is a type of radiation treatment in which the total dose of radiation is divided into small doses and the treatments are given more than once a day. The total dose of radiation is also 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. -
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Dr. Michael S. Porrazzo, MD , Radiation Oncology, answered on behalf of Spotsylvania Regional Medical CenterSee All 7 AnswersMichael Porrazzo, MD from Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center explains how radiation therapy is used in cancer treatment and the limits associated with it. Watch this video to learn more.
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Dr. Michael S. Porrazzo, MD , Radiation Oncology, answered on behalf of Spotsylvania Regional Medical CenterSee All 3 AnswersSide effects of radiation therapy depend on the location of treatment. Michael Porrazzo, MD from Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center names some side effects associated with specific parts of the body in this video.
