Looking Into Radiation Therapy:

Radiation Therapy is concerned with the medical use of ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is created by: x-ray procedures, radioactive substances, rays entering the Earth's atmosphere from outer space, etc. Patients who are exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation typically experience an increase an increase in chemical activity inside cells.

This can lead to some health risks; one of these health risks is cancer. Ionizing radiation is generally used as an integral part of a cancer treatment. When ionizing radiation is used in the midst of cancer treatment it's meant to control the malignant cells. Ionizing radiation is sometimes referred to as radiotherapy or radiation oncology.

Forms of Treatment:

Radiation Therapy can be both curative and adjuvant. Curative treatment is intended to cure. Adjuvant treatment is intended as an additional treatment. It is usually given after the primary treatment is completed. It is intendedto decrease the risk of cancer coming back after treatment.

Adjuvant therapy may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, or biological therapy. It is used as a palliative treatment as well as a therapeutic treatment. Palliative treatments are those in place when there is no possible cure and treatment is intended to control local disease or relieve symptoms. Therapeutic treatment is intended to increase survival and can be curative.

Types of radiation therapy include: total body irradiation (TBI), in combination with surgery, chemotherapy or hormone therapy (or a combination of treatments). Most common cancer types can be treated with radiotherapy in some way. Treatment intent will depend upon the type of tumor being treated, the location and stage as well as the patient's general health.

Radiation therapy is one of the main characteristics of treatment for a wide variety of cancer types. It is a main aspect of treatment for cancers of the: head/neck area, lungs, bladder, breast, and prostrate. It can also be an effective treatment for Hodgkin disease. Both internal and external radiation therapy can be administered depending upon the needs of the patient/the type of cancer being treated. Many patients are able to see "cancer free" results from the use of radiation therapy. Sometimes cancer-free results are due to radiation therapy alone. In other cases it is due to a combination of radiation therapy and either surgery or chemotherapy.

Recovery from Radiation Therapy:

Radiation therapy can provide improvement of the quality of life for many patients. It can also decrease symptoms and increase the survival rate. Recovery times vary. Recovery times will depend upon the type of radiation therapy being administered in addition to many other elements and variables.