Radiation Therapy
About 60% of cancer patients receive radiation therapy at some point during the course of their illness, making it an essential component of cancer treatment.
Considerable progress has been made in understanding the underlying causes of cancer growth and how to treat it in the modern era. Nevertheless, the growing number of cancer cases is a significant problem for medical professionals in the twenty-first century. Radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy are among the therapeutic tools used to combat cancer. About 60% of cancer patients receive radiation therapy at some point during the course of their illness, making it an essential component of cancer treatment. Forty percent of cancer treatments are successful because of it. Radiation therapy’s main goal is to prevent cancer cells from proliferating and dividing.
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High-energy radiations, such as protons, gamma rays, or X-rays, are referred to as radiation treatment. Targeted at malignant tissue, these beams cause damage to the DNA therein, which ultimately results in cell death and inhibits the growth of tumors. Radiation therapy can be administered internally by implanting radioactive sources close to the malignant tumor, or externally by using an equipment to aim the beams towards the desired location.
How Radiation Therapy Is Applied
Radiation therapy holds substantial value in healing various cancers, including:
Brain: A reliable method for combating cancerous tumours and managing conditions like arteriovenous malformations with care.
Breast: Often utilised alongside surgery or chemotherapy in the early stages of breast cancer or as a preventative measure against recurrence.
Lung: Can provide a potential cure for early-stage lung cancer or help manage symptoms in advanced cases.
Prostate: An established approach for treating prostate cancer, often effective in early stages or when combined with other treatments for advanced cases.
What Is The Radiation Therapy Procedure?
For a successful course of treatment, the radiation therapy technique is a meticulously designed process. By using sophisticated imaging methods like CT and MRI scans, doctors are able to produce detailed maps of the tumor and surrounding structures. This critical phase enables a customized strategy to treatment, optimizing exposure to the tumor dosage while reducing damage to healthy tissues.
External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): This standard technique administers radiation from the external body using a linear accelerator (linac) unit.
Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): IMRT takes precision to the next level by modifying the strength of radiation rays to fit to the shape of the tumor, sparing neighboring healthy tissue from unwanted exposure.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT): Often used for tiny tumors, this extremely accurate approach delivers large doses of radiation in fewer sessions.