Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other particles to kill cancer cells. A doctor who specializes in giving radiation therapy to treat cancer is called a radiation oncologist. Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, is the use of several forms of radiation to treat cancer and other diseases safely and effectively.
Radiation oncologists
can use radiation to cure cancer, control cancer growth, or relieve symptoms, such as pain.Radiation therapy works by damaging cells. Normal cells can repair themselves, while cancer cells can't. New techniques also allow doctors to better target radiation to protect healthy cells. Radiation is one of the most common treatments for cancer.
Other names for radiation therapy are radiotherapy, irradiation and radiotherapy. Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and reduce the size of tumors. At low doses, radiation is used in x-rays to see inside the body, as is the case with x-rays of broken teeth or bones. Radiation therapy is one of the most common forms of cancer treatment.
Uses high-energy x-rays to identify and kill cancer cells. Radiation damages cancer cells and stops them from multiplying. We Asked Radiation Oncologist Valerie Reed, MD. Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells.
Most cases, radiation therapy uses x-rays, but protons or other types of energy can also be used. Radiology and radiation therapy are critical components of many cancer diagnoses and treatments, but because of their similar names, patients are often confused by what exactly each one does for them. Although the names of the two fields of medicine share the same root, they use dramatically different technologies and techniques, and serve totally different purposes. X-rays, CT scans, and other imaging procedures: All radiology techniques are used to help locate, stage, and diagnose cancers.
Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses high doses of targeted energy to kill cancer cells and reduce the size of tumors. A team approach to treating patients has been developed at the University of Florida. The team consists of a radiation oncologist, a physicist, a dosimetrist, a radiation therapist and a nurse. A radiation oncologist is a doctor who has completed a residency in radiation oncology.
The radiation oncologist is responsible for determining the role of radiation therapy in a patient's care, planning treatment, and evaluating the patient's response to treatment. Physicist and dosimetrist help radiation oncologist with treatment plan. They are responsible for designing the immobilization devices, generating the computer plan, calculating the radiation dose, and performing weekly checkups to ensure that treatment is delivered accurately. Radiation therapists are responsible for the simulation procedure and daily treatments.
Every day they help the patient get into the treatment position, make sure the radiation field is accurate, and administers the treatment. They work closely with the radiation oncologist to identify any changes or changes in the field prior to daily treatment. The radiation oncologist and radiation oncology nurse are the best people to advise you on the side effects you may experience. Radiation therapists set up equipment and administer radiation treatments prescribed by a radiation oncologist.
Radiation treatments don't hurt, but they do require patient cooperation to remain completely still. The radiation oncologist uses these x-rays to design the exact size and area to be treated with the radiation. From time to time, someone says they can smell it, but in reality this is because some patients detect the odor of ozone created by radiation that interacts with air. If your cancer care team recommends radiation therapy, it's because you believe that the benefits you'll get from it will outweigh the potential side effects.
If you feel weak or dizzy from anesthesia, your radiation oncologist may give you medicine to help you feel better. Treatment Planning Once the simulation is finished, the radiation oncologist and other members of the treatment team review the information they obtained during the simulation, along with their previous medical tests, to develop a treatment plan. You may also receive chemotherapy (provided by a medical oncologist) to kill cancer cells that have moved to other parts of your body. They will help prevent radiation from damaging healthy areas of the mouth, care for teeth, gums, and other tissues in the mouth, and may recommend preventive dental treatment before radiation.
A team of highly trained medical professionals will participate in your care during radiation therapy. For example, people with certain types of lung cancer can receive radiation to the head, even when there is no known cancer, because their type of lung cancer often spreads to the brain. Because radiation beams are very precisely directed, nearby normal tissue receives less radiation and can heal quickly.
