Radiation Therapy Part 1

Radiation is a special kind of energy carried by waves of particles. When radiation is used in high doses, it can be used to treat cancer and other illnesses. Special equipment is used to aim the radiation beam at tumors or other areas of the body affected by disease. The use of high energy rays to treat disease is called radiation therapy. It can also be called radiotherapy, x-ray therapy, colbalt therapy, electron beam therapy, or irradiation.

Radiation therapy can kill cells or keep them from dividing. Radiation is a useful tool for treating cancer because cancer cells grow and divide more rapidly than normal cells around them. Some normal cells may be affected by radiation, most normal cells appear to recover more fully from the effects of radiation than cancer cells. Doctors carefully limit the intensity of treatment to an area being treated so that the cancer will be more affected than normal tissue.

Benefits of Radiation Therapy

For some patients, radiation is the only treatment needed. It is also very affective in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, or biological therapy. Doctors may use radiation before surgery to shrink a tumor. After surgery, radiation may be used to stop the growth of any cancer cells that remain.

Who Gives Radiation Treatments?

Radiation Oncologist- is a doctor who has special training in using radiation. This doctor will prscribe the amount and type of radiation to be given.

Radiation Physicist- makes sure the machine is working properly and ensures that the machine delivers the right dose of radiation.

Dosimetrist- helps carry out the treatment plan by calculating the number of treatments and how long each treatment will be.

Radiation Therapy Nurse- provides nursing care and helps the patient learn about treatment and how to manage side effects.

Radiation Therapist- gets the patient set up for the treatments and runs the equipment that delivers the radiation.

How Radiation Therapy is Given

Radiation therapy can be given in two forms: external or internal. Many people who receive radiation therapy have the external type. The radiation used can come from a variety of sources. Your doctor may choose to use: X-rays, an electron beam, or colbalt-60 gamma rays. Choosing the type of radiation depends on what type of cancer the patient has. High-energy radiation is used to treat many types of cancer. Low-energy x-rays are used to treat some kinds of skin cancers.

After a physical exam and a review of the patients medical history, the radiation oncologist needs to do special planning to pinpoint the treatment area. In a process called stimulation, the patient will be asked to lie very still on a table while the radiation therapist uses a special x-ray machine to define a treatment port or field. This is the exact place on the body where the treatment will be aimed. The radiation therapist often will mark the treatment port on the patients skin with tiny dots of colored, semi-permanent ink to outline the treatment area.

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