CANCER TREATMENT: RADIOTHERAPY

Prior to treatment, the oncologist will assess the patient’s overall health and will usually perform an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (tomography), to locate the cancer and ensure it has not grown or spread. has not spread since the last scans.

The oncologist will then prepare a suitable treatment plan to treat the patient’s cancer.
This may include combining other treatments with radiation therapy. They will decide what dose of radiation to use and how often.

In preparation for treatment, a simulation machine can be used to help establish the patient’s ideal position during treatment, and also to plan the exact point where the radiation beams should be aimed. This point will sometimes be marked in ink on the body.

With complex conditions, any patient can benefit from a second opinion before beginning a treatment plan. This means that another doctor, usually an expert with a lot of experience, will review the patient’s medical history, symptoms, scans, test results, and any other important information to provide a recovery plan. diagnosis and treatment.
45% of US residents who received a second opinion said they received a different diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment plan.

RADIOTHERAPY: WHAT IT CONSIST OF

For external radiotherapy, the patient will be lying on a table, positioned according to the area being treated. A machine, commonly referred to as a linear accelerator machine, is then set up to direct the beams of radiation to the targeted area. The patient should remain as still as possible during the treatment.

During the treatment, the patient will be left alone in the room and a radiologist will be present in an adjoining room, from where they can hear and communicate with the patient if necessary.

For more intense doses of radiation, there are other technologies such as CyberKnife treatment, which delivers radiation through multiple beams, and Gamma Knife radiosurgery, used to treat brain cancer with high-frequency radiation. dose using up to 200 small beams. These types of radiation therapies are advanced and more precise, and aim to deliver high-dose radiation directly to the cancer and minimize exposure to surrounding healthy cells and organs, while decreasing the number of treatments needed.

Internal radiation therapy involves inserting radioactive materials into the body to directly target the cancer, by injection, ingestion, or implantation. Radiation therapy can also be given in liquid form, by ingesting a liquid, injecting radioactive material into a vein, or by direct injection into the cancerous area being treated.

A radioactive implant can be implanted in the area where the cancer is located. This method is called brachytherapy.

The radioactive product is generally implanted in the form of granules

and is primarily used to treat prostate cancer. The pellets are left inside the body until the cancer is cured or until the number of diseased cells has decreased, depending on the goal of the treatment.

They are then removed once they have fulfilled their function.
There are also permanent implants that are not removed after treatment. These cause no harm by remaining inside the body.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT RADIATION THERAPY

Post-operative follow-up After total hip replacement surgery, some patients will be able to walk a little the day after surgery with the assistance of a physiotherapist.

The new hip is usually painful at first, and it’s normal to spend four to five days in the clinic. Often the patient will be able to walk without crutches after 6 weeks, and will be fully recovered after twelve weeks.
Not recommended:
Pregnant woman

Potential risks:

Hair loss

Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Sores in the mouth

Fatigue

Infertility (in rare cases)

Side effects:

Hair loss

Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Appearance of sores in the mouth

Fatigue

RADIOTHERAPY: POSSIBLE DISCOMFORT

If radiation therapy is used to treat throat, neck, or brain cancer, a plastic mask is applied to the face during treatment to keep the patient still, which can cause discomfort.

If the radiation therapy is internal via implant, the implant process may cause discomfort.