Radiation Therapy - Treatment Or Solution For Brain Cancer

Once pancreatic cancer is detected, doctors determine the extent of the damage and then decide upon the treatment. There are mainly three kinds of treatment like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. With the second treatment there are instances of radiation therapy side effects in patients. Treatment of cancer may be curative or when cure seems impossible palliative (measures intended to make the patient more comfortable and to prolong life). However some natural cures have also become a popular alternative to medical treatments but by the time pancreatic cancer is detected it's too late to opt for natural cures.

After their discovery x-rays and radium were found to have remarkable effects on living tissue. Although producing inflammation at first, followed by healing, their continued use resulted in actual destruction of the tissue. This discovery led to their employment on tumors, and it was found that they had even greater destructive effect on malignant tumors than on normal tissue or benign tumors. This selective effect on cancer was due to the fact that malignant cells were generally in a state of division (mitosis) a stage at which cells are especially vulnerable to damaging influences of all kinds. Theoretically, then x-rays and radium should be able to destroy all cancers.

Unfortunately cancers vary in their susceptibility. Moreover, thought the lethal effect of radiation on cancer cells is greater than on normal ones, the difference is often not enough to permit all of the cancer to be destroyed without injuring the normal structures around it. Nevertheless, these agents can cure cancers when properly selected and expertly used. They are effective in cancers of skin, oral cavity and depending on tumor size of the larynx. They are also often the preferred treatment for cancers of the uterus.

Generalizing one may say that that more accessible a tumor is to radiation source, the more apt it is to be controlled by radiation. There are however tumors which by virtue of deep location or intrinsic resistance, do not respond to radiation therapy. Still others may show complete disappearance after initial treatment, only to reappear and become gradually resistant to this form of treatment.

Since 1940, methods of generating and applying radiation therapy have increased spectacularly. X-rays produced by 1 and 2 million electron volts of electricity are employed as are beams from powerful short wave emitters, such as betatron and linear accelerator. These latter rays actually contain particles which penetrate deeply and can be made to concentrate at any desired point within the body. Radioactive cobalt in the form of bombs delivers high energy rays similar to those of super voltage x-ray machines. These techniques are therefore more effective in treating deep lying tumors than earlier methods of irradiation.

Radiation treatments are given generally for five days a week and the entire course lasts for 6 weeks. Each session lasts for a few minutes and its an entirely painless procedure. It's similar to taking an x-ray film. Some patients experience side effects like discomfort during the initial stages and following completion some experience mild skin irritation, hair loss, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea and fatigue. These side effects resolve once the treatment is completed.

Radiation treatment is mainly used to treat brain cancer as modern radiation techniques have improved local regional control on cancerous growth. Impressive as these recent developments seem, it is not yet possible to say that they have rendered cancer more curable in general although it is likely that some cancers are being controlled which could not have been by older techniques or natural cures. However development and refinement are still proceeding and there is reason to expect that future advances in radiation therapy will improve, cure and reduce the radiation treatment side effects.

Privacy Policy