Cancer Treatment with Radiation Therapy
‘Cancer may have started the fight, but you have to finish it with joy by keeping motivating yourself.’
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment technique that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells. The discovery of the X-rays in 1985 by Wilhelm Rontgen has left a long-lasting impact on the field of medicine for the curing life-threatening diseases like Cancer.
It is over 100 years that almost every oncology centers doctors have been used radiation therapy to successfully treat the cancer patients.
What is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy is a process that uses X-rays to destroy or kill cancer cells so they cannot multiply. However, it is noted that Radiation therapy can only be used to treat the advanced stage of cancer.
How does Radiation Therapy work Against Cancer?
At high doses of radiation therapy, it kills cancer cells or stops their growth by damaging their DNA. After the damaged cells die and break down, they are removed by the body. This therapy takes days or weeks for damaging them enough to die.
What are the types of Radiation Therapy?
Cancer hospitals in Siliguri include two types of radiation therapy-
External Beam Therapy: In this therapy treatment, the beam of radiation is focused onto the cancer-affected area by an external machine. It does not touch your body and directly targets your specific part of the body. Suppose, if you have cancer in your lung, you will have radiation only to your chest, not the other parts of your body.
Internal Beam Therapy: In this therapy, the radiation source (solid or liquid) is put inside your body.
However, the type of radiation therapy depends on many factors, including:
- The type of cancer
- The size of the tumor
- The tumor’s location in the body
- Your general health and medical history
- Other types of cancer
The Procedure of Radiation Therapy-
The overall procedure of Radiation Therapy will normally take several weeks to months for getting the ultimate results. Many people have five treatments per week. A person has to go through a certain procedure of therapy-
- A CT scan must do before the treatment to point the exact location as well as the size of cancer.
- Then, a small ink mark will be made on the skin following the scan to treat the particular part accurately.
- After that, the patient lies on a table in a room, and a technician operates the machine remotely from the outside of the room.
- The technician will observe the individual receiving the therapy with the help of a camera.
- Where, in the case of internal radiation therapy, implanting of metal tubes, or wires placed inside the body without surgery.
- The implant can remain in the body either for a few minutes to the rest of a person’s life.
The way of Radiation is used with other cancer treatments-
For cancer treatment, radiation therapy may be deployed in the following ways:
- Radiation therapy may be used alone to treat its prostate cancer or a tumor of the larynx.
- Radiation therapy may be carried out with surgical treatment before or during cancer surgery to shrink the tumor.
- Radiotherapy along with chemotherapy is a treatment that can reduce the need for surgery.
The Side-Effects of Radiation Therapy-
The Side-effects of Radiation Therapy may vary and will depend on which area of your body is being treated. Those side-effects include-
- Fatigue
- Dry, red or itchy skin
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Digestive problems
- Hair loss
- Blood in a Cough or Shortness of breath
Do Proper Researches Needed about Hospitals-
Radiation Therapy is performed almost at every hospital in India as a cancer treatment methodology. The proper treatment of cancer mainly happened in certain places’ hospitals like Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Siliguri etc.
Popular FAQs-
Q. What is the success rate of Radiation Therapy?
A. The success rate depends on the types as well as the location of cancer in the body. The rate varies from 90%- 95%.
Q. What is the approximate cost of Radiation Therapy?
A. The approximate cost of Radiation therapy also varies according to the type of cancer. For example, Breast cancer- INR 531,002, for Lung cancer- INR 654,660 etc.
