Cancer Radio Therapy

Radio therapy, also generally known as radiation method, is a common treatment for patients suffering from cancer, along with other treatments like chemotherapy, drug therapy and surgery. Cancer is a condition characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation and multiplication of the cells in the body. Radio therapy commonly includes exposing the cancerous cells to high energy radiations such as gamma rays and X-rays, which control the cells' multiplication and inhibits their spreading throughout the body. Unfortunately no treatment form, including radiation therapy, has been found to cure cancer completely.

Forms of Radiotherapy

• Internal and external radiotherapy are administered to treat cancer patients. In internal therapy, a device attached to a wire and a catheter is inserted near or inside the cancer tumor. This device irradiates the malignant cells and destroys them. External therapy, also known as external beam therapy, involves exposing the cancer cells with external radiation to kill the cancer cells.

  In few cases, a third form of radiation therapy, known as brachytherapy, is utilized to treat cancer patients. It's mostly used to control the discomfort and pain associated with the cancer forms. Brachytherapy involves placing radioactive seeds (obtained from radioactive isotopes) near the cancerous cells to damage them and prevent their growth.

Time Frame

• Time frame for radiation therapy is often different for each patient, depending on the form of cancer and the internal metastasis of the malignant cells. Nonetheless, in most cases radiotherapy is administered daily for nearly two to three months.

Effects

• Side effects are pretty common with radiation therapy: loss of hair, appetite loss, fatigue and tiredness, skin rashes and other skin irritations.

Advantages and Benefits

• Radiation therapy is generally preferred over surgery, especially for older patients, patients having heart troubles and those with other chronic medical conditions.

Precautions and Warnings

• Patients undergoing radiotherapy are often advised by their doctors to avoid exposure to sun rays and environmental pollutants, to avoid alcohol and to quit smoking.