Radiation therapy

From ArticleWorld

Radiation therapy is the use of ionizing radiation, which means individual particles have the power to remove an electron from its orbit. It may be used as a primary therapy as a cure for cancer or in combination with chemotherapy, hormone therapy and/or surgery. It can also be used to alleviate the disease or the symptoms thereof in the case where there is no cure. It can also be used to treat non-malignant conditions such as thyroid eye disease.

Side-effects

Though undergoing the therapy itself is painless, there are side-effects especially when the dosage is high and they may continue in the months and even years after the treatment. Acute side effects include damage to the skin and to the lining of the mouth, throat and bowel. Swelling may be of concern, especially when the area around the brain is being treated. Radiotherapy may also result in infertility and fatigue. Medium and long-term effects include fibrosis, hair loss, dryness and even cancer as a secondary malignancy.

How it works

Radiation therapy works by ionizing the atoms which make up the DNA. To be more effective, both strands of the DNA need to be broken as this makes any repair work impossible. Like chemotherapy, however, the more dense the tumor, the less effective the treatment. Hypoxic tumors, or those that exist in a low-oxygen state, are resistant to the radiation as oxygen is needed in order for the damage inflicted to be made permanent.