Related topics: cancer , patients , cancer cells , prostate cancer , radiation oncology
Radiation therapy
hideRadiation therapy (also radiotherapy or radiation oncology, sometimes abbreviated to XRT) is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). Radiotherapy may be used for curative or adjuvant cancer treatment. It is used as palliative treatment (where cure is not possible and the aim is for local disease control or symptomatic relief) or as therapeutic treatment (where the therapy has survival benefit and it can be curative). Total body irradiation (TBI) is a radiotherapy technique used to prepare the body to receive a bone marrow transplant. Radiotherapy has several applications in non-malignant conditions, such as the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, severe thyroid eye disease, pterygium, pigmented villonodular synovitis, prevention of keloid scar growth, and prevention of heterotopic ossification. The use of radiotherapy in non-malignant conditions is limited partly by worries about the risk of radiation-induced cancers.
Radiotherapy is used for the treatment of malignant tumors (cancer), and may be used as the primary therapy. It is also common to combine radiotherapy with surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or some mixture of the three. Most common cancer types can be treated with radiotherapy in some way. The precise treatment intent (curative, adjuvant, neoadjuvant, therapeutic, or palliative) will depend on the tumour type, location, and stage, as well as the general health of the patient.
Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumour. The radiation fields may also include the draining lymph nodes if they are clinically or radiologically involved with tumour, or if there is thought to be a risk of subclinical malignant spread. It is necessary to include a margin of normal tissue around the tumour to allow for uncertainties in daily set-up and internal tumor motion. These uncertainties can be caused by internal movement (for example, respiration and bladder filling) and movement of external skin marks relative to the tumour position.
To spare normal tissues (such as skin or organs which radiation must pass through in order to treat the tumour), shaped radiation beams are aimed from several angles of exposure to intersect at the tumour, providing a much larger absorbed dose there than in the surrounding, healthy tissue.
For more information about Radiation therapy, read the full article at
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News tagged with radiation therapy
Tumor-attacking virus strikes with 'one-two punch'
Dec 01, 2009 |
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Ohio State University cancer researchers have developed a tumor-attacking virus that both kills brain-tumor cells and blocks the growth of new tumor blood vessels.
New cancer target for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Nov 22, 2009 |
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Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, ...
Detecting the Undetectable in Prostate Cancer Testing
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Northwestern University researchers, using an extremely sensitive nanotechnology-based tool known as the biobarcode system, has detected previously undetectable levels of prostate-specific antigen ...
New experiment could reveal make-up of the Universe
Aug 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Liverpool are constructing highly sensitive detectors as part of an international project to understand the elements that make up the universe.
Breakthrough in radiotherapy promises targeted cancer treatment
May 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Current radiation therapy treatment damages a patient's healthy tissue as well as eradicating the tumour it is intended to destroy, making the treatment especially invasive and often causing nasty side effects.
Science wins key battles but could cancer win the war?
Mar 16, 2010 |
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Despite huge advances in prevention and treatment, cancer is poised to become the leading cause of death worldwide as people refuse to ditch bad habits and the population ages, experts said Tuesday.
Going for gold with a novel interventional radiology treatment for pancreatic cancer
Mar 16, 2010 |
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Pancreatic cancer—known as the most fatal cancer with no known effective treatment—requires a radical new therapy. A promising approach may come in the form of tiny gold nanoparticles—loaded with a therapeutic agent to kill ...
Precision radiation therapy may improve survival rates of some lung cancer patients
Mar 16, 2010 |
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A radiation therapy that uses multiple radiation beams to target tumors precisely has been shown to eliminate the primary tumor and ultimately may improve survival rates for lung-cancer patients unable to undergo surgery, ...
Short-term radiation therapy successful on breast cancer
Feb 10, 2010 |
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An intense three-week course of radiation therapy is just as effective as the standard five-week regimen for women with early-stage breast cancer.
Curing more cervical cancer cases may be in the math
Jan 29, 2010 |
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Cervical cancer is highly curable when caught early. But in a third of cases, the tumor responds poorly to therapy or recurs later, when cure is much less likely.
Protein link may be key to new treatment for aggressive brain tumor
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumors in adults.
Understanding DNA Repair and Cancer
Dec 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found. The work is helping researchers understand how cancer cells can resist radiation ...
Chemo-radiation before prostate removal may prevent cancer recurrence
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is ...
DNA test could be key to targeting treatments for head and neck cancer
Oct 05, 2009 |
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It is estimated that more than 7,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year in the UK and approximately 3,500 cases result in death. These cancers include tumours of the mouth, lips, throat and voice-box, ...
Remote-control closed system invented for inserting radio-active atoms inside fullerenes
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Jul 07, 2009 |
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Virginia Tech chemistry Professor Harry C. Dorn, Emory and Henry College chemistry Professor James Duchamp, and Panos Fatouros, professor and chair of the Division of Radiation Physics and Biology at the Virginia ...
