Why is radiation the preferred treatment for cancer?
For certain cancers that can be cured either by radiation or by surgery, radiation may be the preferred treatment. This is because radiation can cause less damage and the part of the body involved may be more likely to work the way it should after treatment.
Why is radiation not used to treat skin cancer in young people?
With longer treatment, these side effects may get worse. After many years, new skin cancers sometimes develop in areas previously treated by radiation. For this reason, radiation usually is not used to treat skin cancer in young people.
Who are the unique patients who refuse conventional cancer treatment?
The unique patients who refuse conventional treatment are at times self-directed, confident, and active, and have thought deeply about the meaning of life and cancer and about their cancer treatment options. It may not always be easy for clinicians to deal with these type of patients as they deviate from the norm and challenge current evidence [3].
Can anti-cancer drugs and radiation work together to treat cancer?
Research has shown that when anti-cancer drugs and radiation are given together for certain types of cancer, they can help each other work even better than if they were given alone. One drawback, though, is that side effects are often worse when they are given together. Cancer can spread from where it started to other body parts.
What are the limitations of radiation therapy for cancer?
The disadvantages of radiation therapy include: damage to surrounding tissues (e.g. lung, heart), depending on how close the area of interest is located to the tumor. inability to kill tumor cells that cannot be seen on imaging scans and are therefore not always included on the 3D models (e.g. in near-by lymph nodes.
Why can't patients have radiation surgery?
If given before surgery, radiation may cause problems with wound healing. If given after surgery, it can cause long-term stiffness and swelling that can affect how well the limb works. Many side effects improve or even go away after radiation is finished.
What should I avoid during radiation treatment?
Avoid raw vegetables and fruits, and other hard, dry foods such as chips or pretzels. It's also best to avoid salty, spicy or acidic foods if you are experiencing these symptoms. Your care team can recommend nutrient-based oral care solutions if you are experiencing mucositis or mouth sores caused by cancer treatment.
Does radiation treatment change your DNA?
Ionizing radiation directly affects DNA structure by inducing DNA breaks, particularly, DSBs. Secondary effects are the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that oxidize proteins and lipids, and also induce several damages to DNA, like generation of abasic sites and single strand breaks (SSB).
Which is harder on the body chemo or radiation?
Since radiation therapy is focused on one area of your body, you may experience fewer side effects than with chemotherapy. However, it may still affect healthy cells in your body.
Do tumors grow back after radiation?
Normal cells close to the cancer can also become damaged by radiation, but most recover and go back to working normally. If radiotherapy doesn't kill all of the cancer cells, they will regrow at some point in the future.
Can you take probiotics during radiation?
Probiotics may help prevent and manage RIE by reducing the apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells, promoting recovery from radiation damage, and enhancing local or systemic immune response against pathogens [5,6,7,8,9]. Two meta-analyses also reported that probiotics may be beneficial for RIE [10, 11].
Can I take vitamin D during radiation?
Not all vitamin and mineral supplements have antioxidants. For example calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12 are not antioxidants. These vitamins and minerals are safe to take during your radiation treatment.
Can you drink coffee while taking radiation?
Results: Acute radiation toxicity was not associated with caffeine consumption for cervical or endometrial cancer. There was a nonstatistically significant trend toward a decrease in overall late radiation toxicity with increased caffeine intake for cervical cancer patients.
Does radiation destroy lymph nodes?
Depending on which tissues are exposed, radiation therapy may cause or increase the risk of: Arm swelling (lymphedema) if the lymph nodes under the arm are treated. Damage or complications leading to removal of an implant if you had breast reconstruction with an implant after mastectomy.
What is the success rate of radiation therapy?
“When patients are treated with modern external-beam radiation therapy, the overall cure rate was 93.3% with a metastasis-free survival rate at 5 years of 96.9%.
Why does radiation treatment often make people sick?
Most people start to feel tired after a few weeks of radiation therapy. This happens because radiation treatments destroy some healthy cells as well as the cancer cells. Fatigue usually gets worse as treatment goes on. Stress from being sick and daily trips for treatment can make fatigue worse.
What Is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, or protons, to destroy or damage cancer cells.Yo...
Who Gets Radiation Therapy?
More than half of people with cancer get radiation therapy. Sometimes, radiation therapy is the only cancer treatment needed.
What Are The Goals of Radiation Therapy?
Most types of radiation therapy don’t reach all parts of the body, which means they’re not helpful in treating cancer that has spread to many place...
How Is Radiation Therapy given?
Radiation therapy can be given in 3 ways: 1. External radiation (or external beam radiation): uses a machine that directs high-energy rays from out...
Who Gives Radiation Therapy Treatments?
During your radiation therapy, a team of highly trained medical professionals will care for you. Your team may include these people: 1. Radiation o...
Does Radiation Therapy Cause Cancer?
It has long been known that radiation therapy can slightly raise the risk of getting another cancer. It’s one of the possible side effects of treat...
Does Radiation Therapy Affect Pregnancy Or Fertility?
Women: It’s important not to become pregnant while getting radiation – it can harm the growing baby. If there’s a chance you might become pregnant,...
Questions to Ask About Radiation Therapy
Before treatment, you’ll be asked to sign a consent form saying that your doctor has explained how radiation therapy may help, the possible risks,...
Will I Be Radioactive During Or After External Radiation Treatment?
External radiation therapy affects cells in your body only for a moment. Because there’s no radiation source in your body, you are not radioactive...
How does radiation help cancer?
When radiation is combined with surgery, it can be given: 1 Before surgery, to shrink the size of the cancer so it can be removed by surgery and be less likely to return. 2 During surgery, so that it goes straight to the cancer without passing through the skin. Radiation therapy used this way is called intraoperative radiation. With this technique, doctors can more easily protect nearby normal tissues from radiation. 3 After surgery to kill any cancer cells that remain.
Why do people with cancer need radiation?
Why People with Cancer Receive Radiation Therapy. Radiation therapy is used to treat cancer and ease cancer symptoms . When used to treat cancer, radiation therapy can cure cancer, prevent it from returning, or stop or slow its growth. When treatments are used to ease symptoms, they are known as palliative treatments.
What is intraoperative radiation therapy?
During surgery, so that it goes straight to the cancer without passing through the skin. Radiation therapy used this way is called intraoperative radiation.
What is the treatment for cancer pain?
Pain from cancer that has spread to the bone can be treated with systemic radiation therapy drugs called radiopharmaceuticals.
What is brachytherapy with liquid source?
Learn more about brachytherapy. Internal radiation therapy with a liquid source is called systemic therapy. Systemic means that the treatment travels in the blood to tissues throughout your body, seeking out and killing cancer cells.
What is targeted radiotherapy?
Another type of systemic radiation therapy, called targeted radionuclide therapy, is used to treat some patients who have advanced prostate cancer or gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (GEP-NET). This type of treatment may also be referred to as molecular radiotherapy.
What is the best radiation treatment for thyroid cancer?
A systemic radiation therapy called radioactive iodine, or I-131, is most often used to treat certain types of thyroid cancer.
What is the unique patient who refuses conventional treatment?
The unique patients who refuse conventional treatment are at times self-directed, confident, and active, and have thought deeply about the meaning of life and cancer and about their cancer treatment options.
What is the survival rate of women with diseases at the same stage who did not receive chemotherapy?
It was 26%.
How does communication affect cancer care?
The quality of communication in cancer care has been shown to affect patient satisfaction, decision making, patient distress and well-being, compliance, and even malpractice litigation [22, 23]. Treatment decision making is an ongoing process; thus, patients who initially refuse treatment may later choose to undergo conventional cancer treatment if given the adequate support, information, and time necessary to make the decision. Even if patients have declined oncologic care, they may continue to see their primary care providers and family physicians. Patients need to feel that they have not been permanently excluded from the health care system even if they make choices that are contrary to the recommendations of their medical team [24].
Is the number of patients that decline conventional cancer treatment substantial enough to warrant close attention?
The number of patients that decline conventional cancer treatment is substantial enough to warrant close attention. Effective patient-doctor communication is crucial in addressing this challenge.
Is refusal of cancer treatment a serious concern?
Although the refusal of cancer treatment is a serious concern and has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of treatment and decrease survival duration after diagnosis [1, 2], the phenomenon itself has been scarcely studied. The number of patients who make this decision is not very well-known, but the number appears substantial enough to warrant close attention [3]. Studies have reported rates of less than 1% for patients who refused all conventional treatment [4] and 3%–19% for patients who refused chemotherapy partially or completely [5–9].
Why do doctors recommend radiation therapy?
If your cancer care team recommends radiation treatment, it’s because they believe that the benefits you’ll get from it will outweigh the possible side effects. Still, this is your decision to make. Knowing as much as you can about the possible benefits and risks can help you be sure that radiation therapy is best for you.
What is the treatment for cancer that has returned?
To treat cancer that has returned (recurred) If a person's cancer has returned (recurred), radiation might be used to treat the cancer or to treat symptoms caused by advanced cancer. Whether radiation will be used after recurrence depends on many factors.
How is radiation given?
Radiation therapy can be given in 3 ways: 1 External radiation (or external beam radiation): uses a machine that directs high-energy rays from outside the body into the tumor. It’s done during outpatient visits to a hospital or treatment center. It's usually given over many weeks and sometimes will be given twice a day for several weeks. A person receiving external radiation is not radioactive and does not have to follow special safety precautions at home. 2 Internal radiation: Internal radiation is also called brachytherapy. A radioactive source is put inside the body into or near the tumor. With some types of brachytherapy, radiation might be placed and left in the body to work. Sometimes it is placed in the body for a period of time and then removed. This is decided based on the type of cancer. Special safety precautions are needed for this type of radiation for a period of time. But it's important to know if the internal radiation is left in the body, after a while it eventually is no longer radioactive. 3 Systemic radiation: Radioactive drugs given by mouth or put into a vein are used to treat certain types of cancer. These drugs then travel throughout the body. You might have to follow special precautions at home for a period of time after these drugs are given.
What is radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, or protons, to destroy or damage cancer cells .
Why do people get radiation to their head?
This is done to help prevent cancer from spreading to the head even before it can.
How does cancer spread?
Cancer can spread from where it started to other body parts. Doctors often assume that a few cancer cells might already have spread even when they can’t be seen on imaging scans like CT scans or MRIs. In some cases, the area where the cancer most often spreads to may be treated with radiation to kill any cancer cells before they grow into tumors. For instance, people with certain kinds of lung cancer may get radiation to the head, even when there is no cancer known to be there, because their type of lung cancer often spreads to the brain. This is done to help prevent cancer from spreading to the head even before it can. Sometimes, radiation to prevent future cancer can be given at the same time that radiation is given to treat existing cancer, especially if the area the cancer might spread to is close to the tumor itself.
What is the best treatment for cancer?
Radiation may be used by itself in these cases to make the cancer shrink or completely go away. In some cases, chemotherapy or other anti-cancer drugs may be given first. For other cancers, radiation may be used before surgery to shrink the tumor ...
What percentage of patients did not undergo RT?
In the pre-CALGB group 31.2 percent of patients did not undergo RT versus 34.2 percent in the post-CALGB group, a decrease in RT use of 3 percent, the investigators reported. Patients ages 80 and older had the greatest decrease in RT use among the different age groups according to the article. However, Dr. Chu said after the CALGB 9343 trial, 30 percent of patients ages 85 years and older still received RT.
Why don't patients get RT?
Patients were less likely to undergo RT if they did not adhere to long-term anti-hormone therapy and if they had "residual," or remaining, tumor after lumpectomy. Although Dr. Chu said they could only speculate on the possible reasons why these patients tended to not receive RT as experts recommend, further analysis of the study data showed a correlation between advanced age and residual tumor.
How much did RT decrease after a lumpectomy?
In the new study, the researchers compared post-lumpectomy RT utilization before and after 2004 and found that RT use decreased only 3 percent among women for whom the value of this treatment is questionable.
Is it reasonable to omit RT in women with certain characteristics that put them at low risk of dying of?
In 2004 researchers of a multicenter clinical trial, known as the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 9343 trial, 2 advised that it is reasonable to omit RT in women with certain characteristics that put them at low risk of dying of cancer. Those characteristics were as follows:
Does tamoxifen affect survival after lumpectomy?
They based this recommendation on their study finding that no difference existed in the length of overall survival of these elderly lumpectomy patients between those treated with and without postoperative RT plus tamoxifen.
Can you skip radiation after a lumpectomy?
Recommendation to om it radiation therapy after lumpecto my is not frequently implemented : Most elderly breast cancer patients who could skip radiation still get it -- ScienceDaily.
Can you skip radiation for breast cancer?
Most elderly breast cancer patients who could skip radiation still get it. Nearly two-thirds of US women age 70 or older with stage I breast cancer who undergo lumpectomy and are eligible to safely omit subsequent radiation therapy according to national cancer guidelines still receive this treatment, according to new study results. ...
What can radiation oncologists do?
The radiation oncologists can then provide immediate referrals to supportive care, mental health services, transportation assistance, or other resources . Doing so, Dr. Ohri continued, allows them to more rapidly address these issues and help patients be compliant for the remainder of their treatment course.
Why do cancers recur?
Some of the increased risk of recurrence, the authors believe, may be due to tumor repopulation —that is, cancer cells that remain after a halt in treatment dividing at an accelerated rate. But for many cancer types included in the study, previous studies have suggested that tumor repopulation does not have a significant impact on tumor recurrence and survival.
What variables did the researchers not find independent effects of?
In their analyses, the researchers did not find independent effects of variables such as age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status on recurrence and survival, once noncompliance was taken into account.
Is radiation therapy a risk factor?
Instead, the authors suggested, noncompliance with radiation therapy may serve as a broader warning sign for additional risk factors that negatively affect outcomes, including unmet mental health needs, lack of social support, and noncompliance with other treatments, such as chemotherapy.
Can radiation therapy affect cancer patients?
Credit: National Cancer Institute. Patients who miss radiation therapy sessions during cancer treatment have an increased risk of their disease returning, even if they eventually complete their course of radiation treatment, according to a new study. The magnitude of the effect was higher than the researchers anticipated, ...
What is radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy is a proven, effective and curative treatment for numerous cancers administered by highly trained and caring physicians, physicists and therapists.
Who developed a nutritional approach to cancer that cleans out the liver and restores the immune system?
I encourage people to study the work of Dr. Max Gerson , a brilliant MD who developed a nutritional approach to cancer that cleans out the liver and restores the immune system so that the body rejects the cancer. He had a clinic in the NYC area in the 1940’s, now it would be illegal to do such treatment so the clinic run by his daughter is in Mexico.
Is the article "Errors in all fields of medicine" skewed?
Errors in all fields of medicine can have horrendous outcomes and we need to be vigilant about preventing hospital, physician and computer errors. But patients should be aware that this article is greatly skewed and should not act as a replacement for an honest discussion with their radiation oncologist.
Can any other paper do an article of this complexity and this importance?
No other paper in the U.S. can or would do an article of this complexity and this importance. A real public service is done here. My condolences to the Jn-Charles and Jerome-Parks families. Two terrible tragedies.
Does radiation save lives?
Without a doubt, radiation saves countless lives, and serious accidents are rare. But patients often know little about the harm that can result when safety rules are violated and ever more powerful and technologically complex machines go awry. To better understand those risks, The New York Times examined thousands of pages of public and private records and interviewed physicians, medical physicists, researchers and government regulators.
What is the radiation used to treat skin cancer?
When radiation therapy is used to treat skin cancers, the radiation is focused from outside the body onto the tumor. This is often done using a beam of low-energy x-rays ( superficial radiation therapy) or electrons ( electron beam radiation ). These types of radiation don’t go any deeper than the skin.
Why is radiation used after surgery?
For example, radiation can be used after surgery as an adjuvant (additional) treatment to kill any small areas of remaining cancer cells that may not have been visible during surgery. This lowers the risk of cancer coming back after surgery.
How long does radiation treatment last?
The procedure itself is painless. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes, although the setup time – getting you into place for treatment – takes longer.
What is the purpose of radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays (such as x-rays) or particles (such as photons, electrons, or protons) to kill cancer cells.
Can radiation cause skin cancer?
After many years, new skin cancers sometimes develop in areas previously treated by radiation. For this reason, radiation usually is not used to treat skin cancer in young people. Radiation is also not recommended for people with certain inherited conditions (such as basal cell nevus syndrome or xeroderma pigmentosum), who may be at higher risk for new cancers, or for people with connective tissue diseases (such as lupus or scleroderma), which radiation might make worse.
Can radiation therapy be used after surgery?
Radiation therapy can also be useful for some patients who, for other health reasons, can’t have surgery. Radiation therapy can often cure small basal or squamous cell skin cancers and can delay the growth of more advanced cancers. Radiation is also useful when combined with other treatments. For example, radiation can be used after surgery as an ...
Patient refusal of adjuvant therapy: A question of trust?
Earlier this month a number of news stories and press releases appeared about a study published in late September by investigators at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Columbia University, and Massachusetts General Hospital looking at trust—or, more specifically, a lack of trust—as a key motivator in women refusing adjuvant therapy recommendations and opting for discordant care; i.e., care that doesn’t conform to evidence-based care recommended by the patient’s physicians.
Physician trust versus a more generalized distrust
How could these results be? The authors note that attempts to increase physician trust as a strategy to reduce mistrust in the healthcare system have had results ranging from zero to very modest, which makes sense if patients view the two issues as separate. I like to make an analogy to Congress.
By Orac
Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski.
