Part of the three modalities of cancer, radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, is a form of cancer treatment in which the body is exposed to ionizing radiation such as X rays, gamma rays, and high energy electrons to kill the cancer cells in the body. It is one of the go to forms of treatment as it has proven to be highly effective against various types of cancer. Radiation therapy can be given both inside and outside of a patient’s body, and the most common type of radiotherapy is external beam radiation therapy. In this type of treatment, high energy beams are aimed at a precise point in your body from a machine called a linear accelerator. Modern techniques and methods of radiation therapy are more precise than before, thereby attacking the cancer cells exclusively and sparing the healthy cells of the body.
How Does it Work ?
Cancer in a person’s body begins when cells change and grow at a rapid pace. All cells in the body go through a process of growing, dividing, and multiplying, but cancer cells go through this process at a much faster rate. When these cells experience a change and grow out of control, this then leads to the formation of a mass or a sheet of cells. This formation is commonly referred to as a tumor. A tumor can be either cancerous or benign, and the difference between the two primarily stems from the possibility of whether they can spread or not. The role of radiotherapy then becomes to damage and harm the DNA of these cancer cells through carefully administered doses of ionizing radiation. The DNA of the cell is primarily responsible for controlling how a cell divides. Radiation then helps in shrinking the size of the tumor but also, in many cases, completely eradicates it. This type of treatment is either administered as a stand alone treatment or in combination with other lines of treatment, such as chemotherapy or surgery.
Types of Radiotherapy
1. Teletherapy
This is the most common type of radiotherapy, where radiation is administered to the tumor area using a cobalt unit or a linear accelerator in the form of a high energy beam. During the procedure, the patient lies motionless on a table while the machine administers doses of radiation to the tumor from multiple viewpoints and angles.
2. Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy is a type of radiotherapy where a small, encapsulated radioactive source is carefully placed in the body. This is done so that a high dosage of radiation can be delivered directly to the tumor with minimal effort. The source can be placed both permanently and temporarily.
Effectivity of Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy is a highly effective line of treatment, and is usually offered as the first line of treatment for a variety of cancers. The results and effects of radiotherapy can take a while to fully present themselves, and it can take weeks or even months for a patient to experience some positive effects on their body. With modern technology and advancements in radiotherapy such as 3D conformal radiotherapy and intensity modulated radiotherapy, we now have at our disposal tools that help to target a tumor with high efficiency and accuracy. These advancements also make sure that precise doses of radiation are administered, thereby reducing the risk of damage to healthy cells, tissues, and organs.
Side Effects of Radiotherapy
Side effects primarily depend on the amount of dose that has been administered to a person as well as which body part has been irradiated. While some patients experience short term or long term effects, there are also those who experience no side effects whatsoever. Some of the most common side effects of radiation therapy include:
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Fatigue
- Trouble with memory and speech
- Skin problems
- Hair loss
Final Note
Radiotherapy is an effective line of treatment for various types of cancer, and with the advancements made in this field of research, the effectiveness of this line of treatment has only seen improvement with each passing year. Patients should consult their oncologist to know more about this line of treatment.
