Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy

Radiation is a process of transmission of waves or particles through space or some medium. Waves and particles have many common characteristics; the radiation tends to occur predominantly in one of two ways. Radiation corresponds to mechanical waves gets transmitted only through matter as sound waves. Radiotherapy is the use of a certain type of energy (radiation), from X-rays, gamma rays, electrons and other sources to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy, also known as irradiation, is a method commonly used to treat cancer (Foroudi, 2011).

From the beginning in 1890s, radiotherapy has developed into a reliable, robust and cost effective clinical tool. It has led the researchers to claim that physicist work is easily done with the help of sophisticated radiotherapy tools. However, the advancements in treatment planning technology and method of dose delivery are welcome, but the impact on patients; clinical outcome is minimal (Zhang et al, 2012). The view is that the research and development in medical physics is unlikely to alter the radiotherapy outcomes. Radiotherapy refers to the involvement of high-intensity rays such as X-rays to obliterate cancerous cells. It is very effective to eradicate the growing cells such mainly in the case of breast cancer. While during radiation therapy, numerous healthy cells are also damaged, but they can be recovered with time.

More than half of people with cancer are treated with radiation, a type of cancer treatment that is used to shrink tumors and stop the growth of cancer cells. Most people have had some exposure to X-ray radiation, possibly in the dentist's office. Radiotherapy done by a dentist does not cause pain. But unlike a standard x-ray, radiation is emitted not just to create an image of a tooth or a broken bone. X-ray emitting radiation of high intensity radiation can kill the cancer cells and reduce tumor size. While the goal is to attack the cancer, radiation may also damage healthy cells. La The good news is that healthy cells can recover from the effects of radiation. During radiation treatment, doctors take precautions to protect healthy cells from the person with cancer.

Doctors can treat patients with cancer by giving them only radiation therapy. But they also use a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy (a treatment that uses drugs or chemicals to destroy cancer cells). First, patients go through surgery to remove cancerous cells or tumors and then have radiation therapy. The person suffering from cancer will see an oncologist (a doctor who specializes in cancer treatment). A radiation oncologist is a physician who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer (Powell, 2010). Radiation oncologists work closely with other health professionals to determine the chemotherapy regimen (type and dose) that is relevant to the person with cancer. Radiation therapy can be administered in two ways: externally, through the skin, or internally by injection or placement of a radioactive pellet in the body. The use of internal radiation therapy in adolescents is very unusual.

After 1970, the medical science began using computers and digital imaging techniques, precisely with ...