Cancer Treatment with Radiation Therapy

Radiation to destroy cells that divide rapidly. But radiation can also damage normal tissue, especially tissue where cells normally reproduce rapidly, skin, hair roots, the intestinal lining, ovaries, testicles and bone marrow. By accurately determining the target irradiation will protect normal cells as much as possible.

Cells that have an adequate supply of oxygen is more easily damaged by radiation. The cells are near the center of a large tumor often has a poor blood supply and oxygen levels are low. If the tumor shrank, the remaining cells will get improved blood supply, so it more sensitive to subsequent radiation dose.

The division into a series of doses of radiation therapy in a longer time, will increase the lethal effect against tumor cells and reduce the toxic effects on normal cells.The cells have the ability to repair itself after exposure to the radiation, a treatment plan aimed at maximum improvement from the cells and normal tissue.

Radiation therapy is usually done with a device called a liner accelerator. Beam is directed very closed to the tumor. How can light on normal tissue depending on the extent of area in the beam and the location of normal tissue. For example, radiation to the head and neck tumors often cause inflammation of mucous membranes in the nose and mouth, causing pain and sores (ulceration). Irradiation on the stomach or abdomen often causes inflammation of the stomach (gastritis) and lower intestine (enteritis), resulting in diarrhea.

Radiation therapy plays an important role in curing many cancers, including :

• Hodgkin's disease
• Lilmfoma early-stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Squamous cell cancer of the head and neck
• Seminoma (testicular cancer)
• Prostate cancer
• Early-stage breast cancer
• Lung cancer non-small cell early stage
• Meduloblastoma (cancer of the brain or spine)

If not possibly be cured, radiation therapy can reduce symptoms in multiple myeloma and lung cancer, throat, neck, head and stomach that has spread. Radiation therapy can also reduce symptoms caused by the spread of cancer to bone or brain.

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