Radiation therapy can often be very tolerable for patients, with most experiencing only temporary side effects like fatigue that typically dissipate after their treatments have ended.
Radiation therapy requires you to lie motionlessly on a treatment table for 30-60 minutes at a time, depending on which machine is being used. Your doctors will use a simulator (an imaging or scanning machine) to position the treatment area.
Dose
Radiation therapy works by damaging cancer cell DNA and preventing them from reproducing. The dose of radiation needed to kill cancer cells varies based on tumor type and location; most patients undergo five daily courses of radiation over several weeks (or shorter treatments in palliative radiation therapy cases).
Fractionation refers to adjusting the duration or frequency of radiation treatments in order to adjust their cumulative dose, typically by altering treatment intervals or frequencies; historically this was done to allow healthy tissue time to heal between treatments; today with modern dosimetry it’s used more to deliver uniform prescribed doses while minimizing collateral tissue exposure.
Most forms of radiation treatment use linear accelerators with an x-ray beam, programmed by computer to target tumors with great precision while limiting exposure to surrounding tissues. Different angles on the beam can help shape its radiation field to best target specific areas.
External beam radiation requires patients to lie on a special table, equipped with either a body mold or face mask to help keep still during treatment sessions. An area being treated will be marked, and a dosimeter or monitoring device attached in order to track how much radiation was received each session.
Radiation treatment should only ever be given in doses that the body can handle safely; otherwise it could result in dangerous side effects. For instance, prostate gland radiation exposure must not damage healthy bladder and rectum tissue before side effects occur; there may even be an unusual chance of second cancer developing more than five years post radiation for prostate cancer, though this risk remains low. This is why patients must speak to their physicians about any urinary or bowel dysfunction symptoms before beginning radiation treatments.
Frequency
When treating cancer, the goal is to deliver high doses of radiation directly to the tumor while protecting surrounding healthy tissue. There are various forms of radiation therapy; most use computers to analyze images of tumors and design radiation beams that will best target them; other forms utilize protons while still others utilize electromagnetic waves like X-rays, Gamma (g) rays and electrons as delivery systems.
Radiation therapy will involve lying on a treatment table with assistance from pillows or cushions from medical team. You may also have marks or tattoos showing where on their bodies they must remain completely still for their treatments, which will then be directed by a machine with an audible buzz to the area that needs treating.
Before each session, your doctor will conduct either a CT or MRI of the area being treated, which will produce accurate images of cancerous tumors. Next, they’ll use computer simulation software to design the shape and position of radiation beams – an activity known as simulation. Your radiation therapist will use this information during actual treatments.
External beam radiation therapy is the most prevalent type of radiation treatment, using a linear accelerator to generate a beam of radiation that targets your area with tumor. You can manipulate and shape this beam for optimal targeting; you can even increase or decrease strength depending on whether nearby healthy tissues will receive too much radiation exposure.
Your doctor may suggest 3-D conformal radiation as a form of radiation therapy, which allows doctors to pinpoint your tumor using images from CT, MRI or PET scans and create radiation beams that target it without overexposing nearby organs to excessive radiation exposure. For some cancers this could mean less treatment over a longer timeframe.
Location
Radiation therapy, commonly referred to as radiotherapy, employs beams of high-energy radiation beams to target cancerous cells while protecting healthy tissues from damage. Modern methods use precise machines that target specific areas on the body with electromagnetic energy–primarily X-rays but sometimes protons (g rays)–to deliver this radiation therapy treatment.
Simulation uses a machine called a simulator to take images or scans of the area that will receive radiation treatment, and healthcare team will use this information to help figure out the optimal position for you on a treatment table each time you undergo radiation. You may need to lie still while this series of X-rays or scans is completed. Ink marks or temporary tattoos may be drawn on your skin for assistance when placing you correctly onto a treatment table each time, as well as immobilization devices like foam wedges or forms to assist with maintaining positional stability during treatment sessions.
Simulation will assist radiation oncologists and radiation therapists in creating your treatment plan, including an amount and schedule for receiving radiation treatments, known as dosing. Most patients undergo radiation treatments five times weekly over one to eight weeks. You may choose other schedules such as once every other day or more often than daily treatments.
Most patients can work and live a normal life during radiation therapy; however, some individuals may become fatigued and require extra rest. Your radiation oncologist will inform you if there are any restrictions you must abide by; men may be asked not to engage in sexual activities for a set period after having pelvic radiation treatments, while women may be warned not to become pregnant during radiation treatments.
Side effects
Radiation may kill cancer cells, but it also damages nearby healthy cells – and their damage may cause side effects that vary depending on its direction and dose.
Before beginning therapy, your physician will explain what to expect and explore the risks and benefits associated with treatment options available to you. Furthermore, any questions or issues which arise will be discussed openly during this meeting.
At each treatment session, you’ll lie on a table and will likely receive body molds or props to keep still and allow the radiation beam to target exactly where it is necessary. A mesh face mask may also be fitted for you in order to keep mouth or nose out of harm’s way during radiation treatments; these steps usually only last 15-30 minutes before starting radiation sessions themselves.
Some radiation treatments to the chest and head may leave you feeling tired or having difficulty swallowing, leading to the need for liquid or soft food diet during treatment. Radiation to stomach, esophagus or spinal cord tissues can irritate these structures as well, while pelvic radiation treatments may irritate bladder or urethra ducts (the tubes that carry urine out of your body). Most side effects should diminish once radiation treatment is complete.
Once your course of radiation therapy has concluded, doctors may suggest scheduled visits and scans in order to evaluate how effective your treatment has been and whether any adjustments need to be made. This allows them to assess if anything needs to be changed within your regimen or whether additional steps need to be taken based on how things have gone thus far.
New cancers may form in the area where you had radiation therapy, though this occurs less frequently if you don’t smoke and have few health issues. If other health concerns exist, discuss them with your physician as they could impact on recurrence of cancer recurrence or new side effects; some medications increase your risk for secondary cancers; they will suggest ways to manage them effectively.
