5731 Lexington Drive, Parrish, FL 34219 USA
Phone: 336 306-0193 Email: donwilshe@biobased.us
PicoMed Radiation Elimination!
Approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 08/2020
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays or other particles to destroy
cancer cells. A doctor who specializes in giving radiation therapy to treat cancer
is called a radiation oncologist. A radiation therapy regimen, or schedule,
usually consists of a specific number of treatments given over a set period.
What are the goals of radiation therapy?
Radiation oncologists use radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells and slow
tumor growth while limiting the harm to nearby healthy tissue.
Sometimes, doctors recommend radiation therapy as the first cancer treatment.
Other times, people receive radiation therapy after surgery or therapies
using medication, like chemotherapy. This is called adjuvant therapy. It
targets cancer cells remaining after the initial treatment.
When it is not possible to destroy all the cancer, doctors may use radiation
therapy to shrink tumors and relieve symptoms. This is called palliative
radiation therapy. Palliative radiation therapy may reduce pressure, pain,
and other symptoms. The goal is to improve a person’s quality of life.
More than half of people with cancer receive some type of radiation therapy.
For some cancers, radiation therapy alone is an effective treatment. Other
types of cancer respond best to combination treatments, which is using more
than 1 treatment for a patient's treatment plan. For instance, this may
include radiation therapy plus surgery, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.
What is external-beam radiation therapy?
External-beam radiation therapy is the most common type of radiation therapy.
It delivers radiation from a machine outside the body. It can treat large
areas of the body, if needed.
A machine called a linear accelerator, or linac, creates the radiation beam
for x-ray or photon radiation therapy. Special computer software adjusts the
beam’s size and shape. This helps target the tumor while avoiding healthy
tissue near the cancer cells.
Most treatments are given every weekday for several weeks. Form-fitting
supports or plastic mesh masks are used for radiation therapy to the head,
neck, or brain to help people stay still during treatment.
The types of external-beam radiation therapy are:
Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). Detailed 3-dimensional
pictures of the cancer are created, typically from computed tomography (CT)
or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. This allows the treatment team
to aim the radiation therapy more precisely. It often means that they can
safely use higher doses of radiation therapy while reducing damage to
healthy tissue. This lowers the risk of side effects. For instance, dry
mouthis common after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. But
3D-CRT can limit the damage to the salivary glands that causes dry mouth.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This is a more complex form of
radiation. With IMRT, the intensity of the radiation is varied within each
field unlike conventional 3D-CRT, which uses the same intensity throughout
each beam. IMRT targets the tumor and avoids healthy tissue better than
conventional 3D-CRT.
Proton beam therapy. This treatment uses protons rather than x-rays.
A proton is a positively charged particle. At high energy, protons
can destroy cancer cells. The protons go to the targeted tumor and
deposit the specific dose of radiation therapy. Unlike with x-ray
beams, there is very little radiation dose beyond the tumor. This
limits damage to nearby healthy tissue. Currently, doctors use
proton therapy to treat certain types of cancer. This therapy is
relatively new and requires special equipment. Therefore, it is
not available at every medical center. Learn more about proton
therapy.
Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). This refers to the practice
of using daily images of each treatment field to confirm patient
positioning and make sure the target is in the field. These daily
images are compared to the images used to plan treatment. IGRT
allows your doctor to make each treatment field smaller. This
allows better targeting of the tumor and helps reduce damage
to healthy tissue.
Stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT). This treatment delivers
a large, precise radiation therapy dose to a small tumor area.
The patient must remain very still. Head frames or individual
body molds help limit movement. SRT is often given as a single
treatment or in fewer than 10 treatments. Some patients may
need more than one course of SRT.
What is internal radiation therapy?
Internal radiation therapy is also called brachytherapy. This
type of radiation therapy is when radioactive material is
placed into the cancer or surrounding tissue. Implants may
be permanent or temporary and may require a hospital stay.
Types of internal radiation therapy include:
Permanent implants. These are tiny steel seeds that contain
radioactive material. The capsules are about the size of a
grain of rice. They deliver most of the radiation therapy
around the implant area. But some radiation may exit the
patient’s body. This requires safety measures to protect
others from radiation exposure. Over time, the implants
lose radioactivity. And the inactive seeds remain in the
body.
Temporary internal radiation therapy. This is when radiation
therapy is given in one of these ways:
Needles
Tubes, called catheters, that carry fluid in or out of
the body
Special applicators
The radiation stays in the body for anywhere from a few
minutes to a few days. Most people receive radiation therapy
for just a few minutes. Sometimes, people receive internal
radiation therapy for more time. If so, they stay in a private
room to limit other people's exposure to the radiation.
What are other radiation therapy options?
Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). This treatment delivers
radiation therapy to the tumor during surgery using either
external-beam or internal radiation therapy. IORT allows
surgeons to move away healthy tissue in advance. This
treatment is useful when vital organs are close to the tumor.
Systemic radiation therapy. Patients swallow or receive an
injection of radioactive material that targets cancer cells.
The radioactive material leaves the body through saliva, sweat,
and urine. These fluids are radioactive and people in close
contact with the patient should take the safety measures
recommended by the health care team. An example of this is
radioactive iodine therapy (RAI; I-131) for thyroid cancer.
Radioimmunotherapy. This is a type of systemic therapy. It
uses monoclonal antibodies, which are proteins that are
attracted to very specific markers on the outside of cancer
cells, to deliver radiation directly to the tumors. Because
the treatment uses these special antibodies, there is less
effect on surrounding normal tissue. An example is ibritumomab
(Zevalin), which is used in the treatment of some lymphomas.
Radiosensitizers and radioprotectors. Researchers are studying
radiosensitizers. These are substances that help radiation therapy
better destroy tumors. Radioprotectors are substances that protect
healthy tissues near the treatment area. Examples of radiosensitizers
include fluorouracil (5-FU, Adrucil) and cisplatin (Platinol).
Amifostine (Ethyol) is an example of a radioprotector.
Is radiation therapy safe for patients and their families?
Doctors have safely and effectively used radiation therapy to treat
cancer for more than 100 years.
Having radiation therapy slightly increases the risk of developing a
second cancer. But for many people, radiation therapy eliminates the
existing cancer. This benefit is greater than the small risk that
the treatment could cause a new cancer in the future.
During external-beam radiation therapy, the patient does not become
radioactive. And the radiation remains in the treatment room.
However, internal radiation therapy causes the patient to give off
radiation. As a result, visitors should follow these safety measures:
Do not visit the patient if you are pregnant or younger than 18.
Stay at least 6 feet from the patient’s bed.
Limit your stay to 30 minutes or less each day.
Permanent implants remain radioactive after the patient leaves the
hospital. Because of this, for 2 months, the patient should not
have close or more than 5 minutes of contact with children or
pregnant women.
Similarly, people who have had systemic radiation therapy should
use safety precautions. For the first few days after treatment,
take these safety measures:
Wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet.
Use separate utensils and towels.
Drink plenty of fluids to flush the remaining radioactive
material from the body.
Avoid sexual contact.
Try to avoid contact with infants, children, and pregnant women
Questions to ask the health care team
What type of radiation therapy is recommended for me? Why?
What is the goal of having radiation therapy? Is it to
eliminate the cancer, help me feel better, or both?
How long will it take to have this treatment? How often
will I have it?
Will I need to get a mesh mask or support made before my
treatment begins?
Where will I receive radiation therapy?
What side effects can I expect during radiation therapy?
Afterwards?
What can be done to relieve side effects I experience?
Will special precautions be needed to protect my family
and others from radiation therapy I receive?
Will I receive other cancer treatments in addition to
radiation therapy?
When will we know if this treatment was successful? How?
Related Resources
What to Expect When Having Radiation Therapy
Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
Making Decisions About Cancer Treatment
More Information
National Cancer Institute (NCI): Brachytherapy to Treat Cancer
NCI: External Beam Radiation Therapy for Cancer
RadiologyInfo.org: Introduction to Cancer Therapy (Radiation
Oncology)
RTAnswers.org: How Does Radiation Therapy Work
ASCO answers; Radiation TherapyDownload ASCO's free Radiation
Therapy fact sheet. This 1-page printable PDF gives an introduction
to radiation therapy, including an overview of the different types
of radiation, what to expect during treatment, possible side effects,
terms to know, and questions to ask the health care team. Order
printed copies of this fact sheet from the ASCO Store.
f t k e P
NAVIGATING CANCER CARE
More in this section
Cancer Basics
Diagnosing Cancer
Managing Your Care
Financial Considerations
How Cancer is Treated
Making Decisions About Cancer Treatment
Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplantation
Chemotherapy
Getting Treatment in a Clinical Trial
Immunotherapy and Vaccines
Personalized and Targeted Therapies
Radiation Therapy
Understanding Radiation Therapy
What to Expect When Having Radiation Therapy
Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
Proton Therapy
Surgery
When to Call the Doctor During Cancer Treatment
Understanding Maintenance Therapy
Integrative Medicine
When the First Treatment Does Not Work
Drug Information Resources
Palliative and Supportive Care
Dating, Sex, and Reproduction
Advanced Cancer
For Children
For Young Adults and Teenagers
For Older Adults
Prevention and Healthy Living
Cancer.Net Videos
Return to Home Page