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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4 AnswersA
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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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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Discovery Health answeredSee All 7 AnswersDoctors treat cancer in a variety of ways including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
Radiation therapy (also know as radiotherapy, cobalt therapy, X-ray therapy or irradiation) fights cancer because it can destroy cancer cells more easily than normal cells. Typically, radiotherapy is delivered with an external beam of gamma rays, x-rays or alpha and beta particles directed at the cancerous tumor. Radioactive wires or pellets can be used internally. They are put inside a tiny container and implanted in the body near the tumor. Sometimes, both internal and external radiation is used.Radiation therapy is commonly used to treat early Hodgkin's lymphoma, certain cancers of the lung, bladder cancer, prostate cancer and other tumors. Radiation therapy is commonly used with other therapies, including chemotherapy and surgery. For instance, radiation therapy may shrink a tumor to make surgery easier or, it may be used after surgery to prevent a tumor from reforming. Sometimes, radiation therapy is used alone, especially if a particular tumor is more susceptible to radiation. Radiation also might be used alone when surgery to the specific area is too risky. Even when a cure is highly unlikely, radiation can help shrink a tumor to provide relief from symptoms that come from a tumor's growth.
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LIVESTRONG answeredSee All 3 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
- Cataracts, if treated near the eyes, cranial-spinal or if given Total