Radiation therapy is the only known external method for treating certain types of cancer. External radiation therapy can be used to treat cancer by itself or in combination with other treatments.
How Does Radiation Therapy Work?
Also called radiotherapy, this treatment beams doses of radiation that are many times more powerful than an x-ray at the affected area. Doctors use extreme precision to target and kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
Uses
When a cure is impossible, radiotherapy is used to mitigate the effects of cancer. It is used in the treatment of prostate cancer, stomach cancer, early stage breast cancer and early stage lung cancer
Radiotherapy Procedure
Doctors are careful to limit the dosage and damage to healthy cells. Treatments are divided into small sessions called fractions. The typical treatment period lasts five days.
Is Radiotherapy Safe?
Patients who receive radiotherapy emit small amounts of radiation. To prevent spreading the radiation, the patient is admitted into a private room and contact with others is extremely limited.
Side Effects of Radiotherapy
Some common side effects of radiotherapy are vomiting, low blood count, loss of appetite and hair loss.
Tags: cancer early, cancer early stage, early stage
