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Radiation Therapy
A type of cancer treatment in which beams of intense energy are used to kill cancer cells is known as radiation therapy or radiotherapy. Radiation therapy usually uses x-rays or protons to kill the cancer cells. However, other types of energies may also be used.
Purpose:
Radiation therapy can be used for treating cancer and some types of non-cancerous or benign tumors. The different reasons for which radiation therapy can be used include:
Types of cancers treated
External beam radiation therapy may be used to treat the following types of cancer:
Lung cancer
Breast cancer
Colon cancer
Prostate cancer
Cancers of the neck or head
Brachytherapy may be recommended as a treatment option for cancers that occur in the following body parts:
Vagina
Cervix
Uterus
Rectum
Eye
Head and neck
Brachytherapy may also be recommended for cancers of the following body parts:
Brain
Lung
Skin
Breast
Prostate
Anus
Bladder
Esophagus
The following diagnostic tests may be performed before radiation therapy:
- Physical examination: The doctor will check the symptoms of the patient and evaluate the patient physically.
- Imaging tests: CT scans and MRI scans may be performed to obtain clear, detailed images of the suspected cancerous organ.
- Endoscopy: A tune with a camera on one end is used to examine an organ internally.
- Blood tests: They help in the detection of any medical abnormalities by the assessment of blood cell count.
- Biopsy: This involves the excision of the suspected tissue growth by the doctor and evaluating it under the microscope to confirm the diagnosis of cancer and the type of cancer cell present.
The radiation therapist takes an x-ray, known as a port film, on the first day of treatment.
The port films are normally taken every week to verify that you have been positioned accurately during each treatment.
CT scans are taken throughout the procedure. Sometimes, ultrasounds or x-rays may be used instead of CT scans.
The procedure can be carried out in the following ways:
1. External beam radiation therapy:
A machine known as a linear accelerator directs the high-energy beams of radiation into the body.
The linear accelerator moves around you to provide radiation from several angles as you lie on the table.
This linear accelerator makes a buzzing sound and can be adjusted to deliver the precise dose of radiation that the doctor recommends.
This procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis (the patient goes home on the same day after treatment), five times a week.
Each treatment session lasts for about ten to thirty minutes.
Sometimes, a single treatment may be performed to relieve the symptoms associated with advanced types of cancers.
The session is usually not painful and the doctors are usually in an adjacent room monitoring the session.
2. Internal radiation therapy:
This procedure is performed when the radiation source is placed inside the body.
This source is taken in the form of seeds, capsules, or through an intravenous (injected into the vein) line in case of a liquid which helps in the detection of the cancer cells and killing them.
The side effects of radiation therapy depend on which part of the body is getting exposed to radiation and how much radiation is being used. The common side effects of radiation therapy include:
- Hair loss at the site of treatment
- Skin irritation at the treatment site
- Fatigue
The common side effects of radiation therapy depending on the part of the body being treated include:
Head and neck:
- Dry mouth
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Thickened saliva
- Nausea
- Sore throat
- Tooth decay
- Mouth sores
- Change in the way the food tastes
Chest:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Abdominal area:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Pelvis:
- Diarrhea
- Frequent urination
- Bladder irritation
- Sexual dysfunction
- You will most likely go home on the same day after radiation therapy.
- Symptoms like skin irritation and fatigue may develop after a couple of radiation therapy sessions. However, some people may have no side effects after radiation therapy.
- The doctor will closely monitor your health, treatment schedule, and dosing during the weeks of treatment.
- Inform your doctor about the side effects that you may experience after a radiation therapy session. The doctor may advise you or give medicines to relieve your discomfort.
- Follow-up appointments with the doctor are recommended. The doctor will do periodic scans after the treatment to see how cancer has responded to radiation therapy.
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Radiation Therapy
A type of cancer treatment in which beams of intense energy are used to kill cancer cells is known as radiation therapy or radiotherapy. Radiation therapy usually uses x-rays or protons to kill the cancer cells. However, other types of energies may also be used.
Purpose:
Radiation therapy can be used for treating cancer and some types of non-cancerous or benign tumors. The different reasons for which radiation therapy can be used include:
- As the primary and only form of cancer treatment
- As a neoadjuvant therapy before surgery, to shrink the size of a cancerous tumor
- As an adjuvant therapy after surgery, to stop the remaining cancer cells from growing
- As a combination therapy with other forms of cancer treatments, like chemotherapy, to kill the cancer cells
- In cases of advanced cancer, to relieve the symptoms caused by cancer
Types:
The different types of radiation therapies are:
1. External beam radiation therapy: This is the most common type of radiation therapy in which high-energy beams of radiation are directed at the tumor.
The machine’s position can be changed so that it can aim at the beams at different angles. It is usually given five days a week for approximately one to eight weeks, depending on the type of cancer. Occasionally, a single treatment could be recommended.
The different types of external beam radiation therapies include:
a) 3D conformal radiation therapy: Computed tomography (CT) scans and special computer software help in creating a three-dimensional computer model of the treatment area. Treatment is precisely targeted to the tumor, not affecting the surrounding normal tissue.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT): IMRT provides precise radiation therapy. The multi-beam system varies in dose intensity and narrows in on the diseased cells. VMAT performs this procedure over an arc, which is quicker.
b) Image guided radiotherapy (IGRT): Three-dimensional imaging may be done before treatment to help in the better precision of the target. This can be done by using imaging tests like CT scans, x-rays, and ultrasounds.
c) Stereotactic radiosurgery or gamma knife radiosurgery: This type of treatment involves focuses on providing high doses of intense radiation to the targets outside the head region.
Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT): It helps radiation delivery at the time of the surgery, avoiding the need for external radiation later on. The radiation is more focused on areas having some tumors left behind.
2) Internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy: It involves the implantation of a radioactive source or seed in or around the tumor. This source emits a high radiation dose to a small area to kill cancer cells.
The different types of internal radiation therapies are:
Permanent implants: They are small steel seeds containing radioactive material. Most of the radiation therapy is provided around the area of the implant. Although, some radiation may exit the body of the patient. The implants lose their radioactivity over time and the inactive seeds stay in the body.
Temporary internal radiation therapy: It can be given by a needle, through a tube known as a catheter, using special applicators.
Radiopharmaceuticals: Radioisotope is bound to a carrier in this type of radiation therapy.
The type of radiation therapy performed for a particular patient depends on several factors, like:
- Type of cancer
- Size of the tumor
- Site of cancer
- Proximity of the cancer site to other tissues that may be sensitive to radiation
- Age of the patient
- Overall health status of the patient
- If other forms of cancer treatments are needed
Symptoms
Types of cancers treated
External beam radiation therapy may be used to treat the following types of cancer:
Lung cancer
Breast cancer
Colon cancer
Prostate cancer
Cancers of the neck or head
Brachytherapy may be recommended as a treatment option for cancers that occur in the following body parts:
Vagina
Cervix
Uterus
Rectum
Eye
Head and neck
Brachytherapy may also be recommended for cancers of the following body parts:
Brain
Lung
Skin
Breast
Prostate
Anus
Bladder
Esophagus
Diagnosis
The following diagnostic tests may be performed before radiation therapy:
- Physical examination: The doctor will check the symptoms of the patient and evaluate the patient physically.
- Imaging tests: CT scans and MRI scans may be performed to obtain clear, detailed images of the suspected cancerous organ.
- Endoscopy: A tune with a camera on one end is used to examine an organ internally.
- Blood tests: They help in the detection of any medical abnormalities by the assessment of blood cell count.
- Biopsy: This involves the excision of the suspected tissue growth by the doctor and evaluating it under the microscope to confirm the diagnosis of cancer and the type of cancer cell present.
Treatment
The radiation therapist takes an x-ray, known as a port film, on the first day of treatment.
The port films are normally taken every week to verify that you have been positioned accurately during each treatment.
CT scans are taken throughout the procedure. Sometimes, ultrasounds or x-rays may be used instead of CT scans.
The procedure can be carried out in the following ways:
1. External beam radiation therapy:
A machine known as a linear accelerator directs the high-energy beams of radiation into the body.
The linear accelerator moves around you to provide radiation from several angles as you lie on the table.
This linear accelerator makes a buzzing sound and can be adjusted to deliver the precise dose of radiation that the doctor recommends.
This procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis (the patient goes home on the same day after treatment), five times a week.
Each treatment session lasts for about ten to thirty minutes.
Sometimes, a single treatment may be performed to relieve the symptoms associated with advanced types of cancers.
The session is usually not painful and the doctors are usually in an adjacent room monitoring the session.
2. Internal radiation therapy:
This procedure is performed when the radiation source is placed inside the body.
This source is taken in the form of seeds, capsules, or through an intravenous (injected into the vein) line in case of a liquid which helps in the detection of the cancer cells and killing them.
Risks
The side effects of radiation therapy depend on which part of the body is getting exposed to radiation and how much radiation is being used. The common side effects of radiation therapy include:
- Hair loss at the site of treatment
- Skin irritation at the treatment site
- Fatigue
The common side effects of radiation therapy depending on the part of the body being treated include:
Head and neck:
- Dry mouth
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Thickened saliva
- Nausea
- Sore throat
- Tooth decay
- Mouth sores
- Change in the way the food tastes
Chest:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Abdominal area:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Pelvis:
- Diarrhea
- Frequent urination
- Bladder irritation
- Sexual dysfunction
After Procedure
- You will most likely go home on the same day after radiation therapy.
- Symptoms like skin irritation and fatigue may develop after a couple of radiation therapy sessions. However, some people may have no side effects after radiation therapy.
- The doctor will closely monitor your health, treatment schedule, and dosing during the weeks of treatment.
- Inform your doctor about the side effects that you may experience after a radiation therapy session. The doctor may advise you or give medicines to relieve your discomfort.
- Follow-up appointments with the doctor are recommended. The doctor will do periodic scans after the treatment to see how cancer has responded to radiation therapy.
FAQ Section
Radiation therapy is the treatment of cancer and other diseases like thyroid disease, blood disorders, and noncancerous growth using ionizing radiation, which can be delivered externally or internally. It uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
Although not right away, radiation therapy kills cancer cells or slows their growth by damaging their DNA beyond repair so that they stop dividing or die. When the damaged cancer cells die, they are broken down and removed by the body.
More than half of people suffering from cancer get radiation therapy, but sometimes, radiation therapy is the only cancer treatment needed.
No, external beam radiation treatments are painless. Although radiation therapies are not painful, hey can cause unwanted side effects, like the skin where radiation is aimed, may feel like it has been sunburned and will need to be shielded from the sun.
- To cure or shrink early-stage cancer
- To stop cancer from coming back somewhere else
- To treat symptoms caused by advanced cancer
- To treat cancer that has recurred
External beam radiation does not cause the person to become radioactive, and they pose no risk of radiation exposure to people near them. If a person has a radioactive implant in place, some visitors, such as small children, will not be allowed to get too close, and visiting time may be limited until the implant is removed.
Radiation therapy can be given in 3 ways:
- External radiation: Also known as external beam radiation, it uses a machine to directs high-energy rays from outside the body into the tumor.
- Internal radiation: Also called brachytherapy, in this method, a radioactive source is put inside the body into or near the tumor.
- Systemic radiation: In this method, radioactive drugs are given by mouth or put into a patient's vein to treat certain types of cancer. These drugs then travel throughout the body and destroy cancer throughout the body.
The radiation used to damage or destroy cancer cells and tumors can also damage normal cells, and when this happens, you may experience side effects. However, the risk of side effects is usually outweighed by the benefits of eliminating cancer from the body.
- Radiation oncologist
- Radiation physicist
- Dosimetrist
- Radiation therapist or radiation therapy technologist
- Radiation therapy nurse
The most typical side effects of radiation therapy are:
- 1.Fatigue
- 2.Skin irritation at the site of treatment.
- 3. When treatment is being given in the mouth, throat or neck area, dry, sore mouth or throat may occur.
- 4. Some coughing and excess mucus production can occur if treatment is given to or near the lung area.
- 5.Mild nausea or diarrhea.
Unless the area being treated with radiation is around the stomach, most patients do not experience any nausea with radiation therapy.
As hair loss only occurs in the area that is being treated with radiation therapy, you will not lose the hair on your head unless that is the area being treated.
Radiation therapy can slightly raise the risk of getting another cancer such as skin cancer. It’s one of the possible side effects, and for the most part, the risk of second cancer from the therapy is small and is outweighed by the benefit of eliminating cancer.
Most of the time, external beam radiation is delivered in daily treatments in the treatment room for about 15-30 minutes over a period of 5 to 7 weeks. The patient will generally receive them Monday through Friday and get the weekend off.
The patients are allowed to continue with their normal routines. But when they feel tired, they should avoid overexerting themselves. They should get plenty of sleep and should maintain a healthy diet.