What Is Radiotherapy ?

Radiotherapy is the use of high energy x-rays and similar rays (such as electrons) to treat disease.

Since the discovery of x-rays over one hundred years ago, radiation has been used more and more in medicine, both to help with diagnosis (by taking pictures with x-rays), and as a treatment (radiotherapy). While radiation obviously has to be used very carefully, doctors and radiographers have a lot of experience in its use in medicine.

Many people with cancer will have radiotherapy as part of their treatment. This can be given either as external radiotherapy| from outside the body using x-rays or from within the body as internal radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy works by destroying the cancer cells in the treated area. Although normal cells can also be damaged by the radiotherapy, they can usually repair themselves.

Radiotherapy treatment can cure some cancers and can also reduce the chance of a cancer coming back after surgery. It may be used to reduce cancer symptoms.
Some people find that the side effects are very mild and that they just feel tired during their course of radiotherapy treatment.

There Are Two Main Types Of Radiotherapy Treatment : –

• External Radiotherapy
• Internal Radiotherapy

List of Radiotherapy Treatments offered in India

• Radiation Therapy
• Gamma Knife
• IMRT

External Radiotherapy

External radiotherapy is where a machine is used to give a dose of energy, such as X-rays, to attack the cancer cells. There are different types of radiotherapy machines, which work in slightly different ways. For a session of radiotherapy you will be asked to sit or lie in a position that allows the energy beam to be directed accurately at the cancer. This may involve lying down while the machine rotates around you, or you may be asked to sit in a chair while the beam is directed at a cancer that is near the surface of your skin (also called superficial cancer).

The machine looks like an X-ray machine. It won’t touch you and you won’t feel any pain during the treatment. The number and duration of the radiotherapy sessions depends on the type of cancer and where it’s located in your body. A superficial skin cancer may need only a few short treatments, whereas a cancer deeper in the body may need more prolonged treatment.

People usually have external radiotherapy in small doses – each dose is called a fraction – usually from Monday to Friday so your normal tissue has a chance to recover from the treatment at the weekend. Radiotherapy won’t make you become radioactive during the treatment. You will be able to carry on with many of your normal daily activities. However, you may feel tired during and after your treatment so it’s a good idea to ask friends and family for help if you need it.

Internal Radiotherapy

Internal radiotherapy is where the source of radioactivity is put inside your body so it can get closer to the cancer.

Brachytherapy

This is when a solid source of radioactivity is put next to a tumour to give a high dose of radiotherapy. This means the effect on body tissue around the cancer is as little as possible. Brachytherapy can be used to treat cancers of the cervix, head and neck, womb (uterus), prostate gland and skin.

You will need to have a minor operation to put the radioactive source into your body and you will usually need to stay in hospital for a few days while it’s in place. Once the treatment is over, a doctor or nurse will remove the radioactive source and you will be able to go home. Some radioactive sources need to stay in your body permanently (eg for prostate cancer), but will gradually lose their radioactivity. Hospital visiting will be restricted at this time because you will be radioactive while the source is in place.

Risks :

• Tiredness
• Loss Of Appetite
• Feeling Sick And Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Skin May Become Red, Itchy And Sometimes Sore, Like Sunburn
• Coughing And Shortness Of Breath
• Dry Mouth, Causing Difficulty Swallowing
• Losing Weight
• Hair Loss – Usually Temporary But It Can Be Permanent – Only Happens In The Area Of The Body Being Treated
• Emotional Symptoms – Feeling Low, Depressed Or Anxious After Treatment
• Stiffness Of Joints And Muscles

Duration Of Treatment

The length of radiotherapy treatment varies. It depends on the type of cancer, if it has spread to other areas of the body, the type of radiotherapy used, the severity of your side-effects and how successful the treatment is. A course of radiotherapy can last up to eight weeks, but usually it will be shorter than this.

Recovering From Radiotherapy

After your treatment, your oncologist will arrange a follow-up appointment to check how you are recovering from any side-effects and what your response has been to the radiotherapy. This is a good opportunity to ask about any long-term side-effects that you might expect to have after your treatment.

Patient support groups can give you support and advice on recovering after radiotherapy

Following Treatments Are Offered By We Care India:

• Radiation Therapy
• Gamma Knife
• IMRT

Do you have your medical reports; send us now for a free quote –click here

Or email at [email protected] / Call +91 9029304141