Radiation Oncology

Over 50% of all cancer patients will visit a radiation oncology specialist for radiation therapy at some point during their treatment. High-energy radiation beams act against cells that reproduce rapidly, which is why they’re good at targeting cancer cells. Sometimes normal cells are also injured in the process, but given time, they will heal, whereas the sped-up cancer cells will simply self-destruct. Radiation treatments are normally administered in small doses, five days a week, over a six or seven week period.

There are two types of radiation therapy within the field of radiation oncology; external and internal. External radiation is administered via a linear accelerator once or twice a day, five days a week for several weeks. Over the weekend, a person’s healthy cells have a chance to recuperate. By contrast, internal radiation places directed, high-energy rays inside the body to the cancer cells directly. There are different types of implants an oncologist may use — small seeded pieces of radioactive substance or implanted vial reservoirs where radioactive substance is injected. This “substance” may be radium, cesium, iodine or phosphorus and the implants may be temporary or permanent.

The success of radiation oncology depends upon the size of the tumor and the type of cancer. For example, there are highly radiosensitive cancer cells — like leukemia, lymphomas and germ cell tumors. So if lymphoma is found in one localized area, there is a good probability the cancer can be eradicated. On the other hand, some tumors are radio-resistant, such as renal cell cancer, melanoma and metastatic cancers that have spread throughout the whole body. While radiotherapy may be prescribed along with another treatment, the medical problem cannot be helped by radiation alone.

Even though there are many benefits of radiation oncology treatment, some people would rather not get involved with oncology radiology because of the possible long-term side effects. Some people who underwent brain irradiation have reported memory impairment and confusion, personality changes, dental problems or cataracts. Others say their treatment led to high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, the development of another cancer, infertility or hypothyroidism. Every person reacts differently to radiation therapy, so it’s important that patients talk to their doctors about the potential risks and rewards associated with this treatment.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at 12:09 pm and is filed under Technology and Gadgets . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.