Radiation is one of the most common treatments for cancer. Other names for radiation treatment are radiation therapy, radiotherapy, irradiation, and x-ray therapy. 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.
How is radiation therapy used to treat cancer?
- Before surgery (to reduce the size of a tumor/usually combined with chemotherapy)
- After surgery (to clean up any cancer cells that may remain after surgery/usually combined with chemotherapy)
- As a primary treatment (with or without chemotherapy) to slow the growth of a tumor
- To treat metastases
How dangerous is radiation therapy?
When X-ray radiation is absorbed within our bodies, it can damage molecular structures and potentially cause harm. Very high doses of radiation cause damage to human cells, as evidenced by skin burns, loss of hair, and increased incidence of cancer.
Does radiation treat cancer or cause cancer?
When your cells divide they replicate your DNA to do that and radiation can cause errors in the process. For this reason, radiation can both cure and cause cancer. Radiation therapy can happen externally through beams in a localized area or sometimes they target the cancer cells and inject it in you with a catheter.
What are the side effects of Radiology?
Radiation therapy has side effects because it not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells, it can also affect nearby healthy cells. Many people who get radiation therapy experience fatigue. Other side effects depend on the part of the body that is being treated. Learn more about possible side effects.
What type of ray is used in cancer treatment?
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 are gamma rays used to treat cancer?
Use and importance in clinical medicine Gamma rays can kill living cells and damage malignant tumor. The Gamma radiation intensity decreases exponentially with the depth of penetration. They damage the cancerous cells' DNA, causing them to die or reproduce more slowly.
Which ray is used in chemotherapy?
X-rays, gamma rays, and charged particles are types of radiation used for cancer treatment.
Which radioactive element is used in the treatment of cancer Class 9?
Cobalt therapy or cobalt -60 therapy is the medical use of gamma rays from the radioisotope cobalt -60 to treat conditions such as cancer.
Do gamma rays cause cancer?
High-energy radiation, such as x-rays, gamma rays, alpha particles, beta particles, and neutrons, can damage DNA and cause cancer. These forms of radiation can be released in accidents at nuclear power plants and when atomic weapons are made, tested, or used.
Which rays are used in radiotherapy?
Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, but protons or other types of energy also can be used.
What is radium treatment?
Radium 223 is a type of internal radiotherapy treatment for cancer that began in the prostate and has spread to the bones. You might hear it called radioisotope treatment. You have the treatment in the nuclear medicine department. It takes around an hour.
What are uses of gamma rays?
Gamma rays are used in medicine (radiotherapy), industry (sterilization and disinfection) and the nuclear industry. Shielding against gamma rays is essential because they can cause diseases to skin or blood, eye disorders and cancers.
Overview
Why It's Done
- More than half of all people with cancer receive radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment. Doctors use radiation therapy to treat just about every type of cancer. Radiation therapy is also useful in treating some noncancerous (benign) tumors.
Risks
- Radiation therapy side effects depend on which part of your body is being exposed to radiation and how much radiation is used. You may experience no side effects, or you may experience several. Most side effects are temporary, can be controlled and generally disappear over time once treatment has ended. Some side effects may develop later. For example, in rare circumsta…
How You Prepare
- Before you undergo external beam radiation therapy, your health care team guides you through a planning process to ensure that radiation reaches the precise spot in your body where it's needed. Planning typically includes: 1. Radiation simulation.During simulation, your radiation therapy team works with you to find a comfortable position for you during treatment. It's imperative that you li…
What You Can Expect
- External beam radiation therapy is usually conducted using a linear accelerator — a machine that directs high-energy beams of radiation into your body. As you lie on a table, the linear accelerator moves around you to deliver radiation from several angles. The linear accelerator can be adjusted for your particular situation so that it delivers the precise dose of radiation your doctor has order…
Results
- If you're receiving radiation to a tumor, your doctor may have you undergo periodic scans after your treatment to see how your cancer has responded to radiation therapy. In some cases, your cancer may respond to treatment right away. In other cases, it may take weeks or months for your cancer to respond. Some people aren't helped by radiation therapy.
Clinical Trials
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiesof tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.