Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is one of the most widely used therapies for cancer treatment. It consists of using radiation in its different forms (X-rays, Gamma rays, particles) to harm and destroy tumours, either alone or in combination with surgery or chemotherapy. Radiotherapy is either external (teletherapy) or internal (brachytherapy). Teletherapy Teletherapy refers to radiation therapy given by an external radiation source at a distance from the body. It is the most common type of radiotherapy used in cancer treatment and is usually given by a Cobalt unit, which delivers high energy gamma rays, or a linear accelerator, which can deliver high-energy X-rays or electrons. In the most common scheme, treatment is given daily for a period of 4-8 weeks. To deliver an even dose of radiation to the target, which may be several centimeters thick, the radiation source is placed at a distance from the patient (usually 80-150 cm). Healthy tissue, including skin, in the path of the beam can also be irradiated. To reduce this effect, higher-energy beams are used for deeper tumors and treatment is delivered from several angles, which maximizes the dose at the intersection. Modern teletherapy techniques Newer techniques, such as 3-D conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, and image guided radiotherapy, obtain an extremely accurate shaping of the target that receives the prescribed dose of radiation. These techniques allow radiotherapy to deliver a lower dose of radiation to healthy...

Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy waves to damage or destroy cancer cells. The waves stop cancer cells from growing and making more cancer cells by affecting the Radiation therapy targets an affected area with high-energy waves, often the location of a tumor or the place where a tumor was removed during surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells. This type of treatment is sometimes ideal because it allows doctors to only affect specific parts of your body, unlike other cancer treatments like You see lower doses of radiation used in other parts of medicine like X-rays. According to the There are two types of radiation therapy, and your doctor will consider many factors when deciding which is best for you, including: • cancer type • tumor size • location of cancer • the proximity of cancer to other tissues sensitive to radiation • your overall health and well-being • whether you’ll need other cancer treatment • age External beam radiation therapy With external beam radiation therapy, a large machine sends radiation waves to the site of cancer from outside the body. You can’t see the rays, and the apparatus doesn’t touch you but moves around you. The movement allows it to send the radiation from many different directions. Doctors use this type of radiation as a local treatment to target a specific part of your body. For example, when used for Internal radiation therapy Internal radiation therapy is done in different ways. With • capsules • ribbo...

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. Depending on the • As the first treatment for cancer that is still just in the prostate gland and is low • As part of the first treatment (along with • If the cancer is not removed completely or comes back (recurs) in the area of the prostate after surgery. • If the cancer is advanced, to help keep the cancer under control for as long as possible and to help prevent or relieve symptoms. Types of radiation therapy The main types of radiation therapy used for prostate cancer are: • External beam radiation • Brachytherapy (internal radiation) • Radiopharmaceuticals (medicines containing radiation that are injected into the body) External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) In You will usually go for treatment5 days a week in an outpatient center for at least several weeks, depending on why the radiation is being given. Each treatment is much like getting an x-ray. The radiation is stronger than that used for an x-ray, but the procedure typically is painless. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes, although the setup time — getting you into place for treatment — takes longer. Newer EBRT techniques focus the radiation more precisely on the tumor. This lets doctors give higher doses of radiation to the tumor while reducing the radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissues. Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) 3D-CRT uses special computers to precisely map the location of your prostate. Radiati...