What to Expect When Entering Radiation Therapy
by: VantageOncology
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Word Count: 378
Radiation therapy, often referred to as radiotherapy,
has many uses. While it is useful for the treatment of non-malignant
conditions such as thyroid eye disease, it is most commonly used as the
result of a cancer diagnosis and as part of a treatment regiment to
control malignant tumors.
When used to treat cancer, radiation therapy is often administered in
conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy. In operable cases, surgery
may be conducted to remove as much of the cancer as possible, then
treatment is followed up by radiation therapy to kill any remaining
cancer cells. The same is true of treatment in conjunction with
chemotherapy. In some cases, a combination of all three treatments will
be used.
To treat a person with radiation therapy, a doctor known as a radiation
oncologist directs high energy x-rays at the patient’s body in order to
kill cancer cells and prevent their growth and proliferation. These
x-rays are the same as those administered to image bones and teeth, and
just like an x-ray of your arm or teeth, it is not painful. However,
the concentration of x-rays is much higher as its purpose is to kill
living cells rather than just obtain an image.
At such high doses, the x-rays are capable of killing not just the cancerous cells, but health tissue as well. Radiation therapy
works, however, because healthy cells that are damaged are better able
to recover whereas cancerous cells have a more difficult time. To
minimize
damage to healthy cells, the radiation is targeted to the part of the
body where the cancer resides.
Common side effects include fatigue, nausea, decreased immune response,
hair loss, and others. Side effects often result from the radiation of
healthy tissue. However, new technologies are increasing the precision
of radiation therapy, thereby reducing side effects and improving
success rates.
Author Bio:- Vantage Oncology is dedicated to this idea of improving
care for patients and their families who are affected by cancer. Our
commitment to Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Intensity
Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), radiosurgery and radiotherapy continues as we search for newer and better ways to treat cancer and improve the lives of cancer survivors
About the Author
Author Bio:- Vantage Oncology is dedicated to this idea of improving care for patients and their families who are affected by cancer. Our commitment to Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), radiosurgery and radiotherapy continues as we search for newer and better ways to treat cancer and improve the lives of cancer survivors
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