What is Radiotherapy?
Radiation oncology is the medical branch that examines the effects of all kinds of radiation treatment using ionizing radiation on cancer cells and tumors and conducts research in this field. In the treatment process, a special type of energy called radiation is used, which is carried by waves or particles. Therefore, special devices are needed to direct the radiation to the diseased organ. In this way, the use of high dose levels of radiation energy for therapeutic purposes is called "Radiotherapy".
High doses of radiation given during the radiotherapy process can destroy cancer cells or prevent them from multiplying by dividing. Radiotherapy is much more effective on rapidly dividing and multiplying cancer cells than normal cells. On the other hand, in treatments with this method, it is much faster for healthy cells to recover and return to their former state. Therefore, in the "planning" stage for radiotherapy treatment, the necessary details and drawings are created so that the normal cells are exposed to the least radiation, and the treatment is applied in a targeted way.
Radiotherapy treatments can also be used as a sole treatment depending on the type of cancer. Applications are made according to the patient's condition before, after or accompanying chemotherapy. It is called with different names depending on whether it is done alone or combined with other treatments. In addition, the term "adjuvant radiotherapy" is often heard in cancer treatments. In short, they are treatments applied for preventive purposes. After previous surgical treatments, according to the information obtained, if the probability of recurrence is high, radiotherapy is given to the patient as a preventive treatment, and this is collected under the name of adjuvant radiotherapy.
The person who manages the radiotherapy process is the physician who specializes in the treatment of diseases with radiation. Radiation oncology specialist determines the type of treatment that the patient needs and plans the process to be applied. During the treatment, the radiation oncologist works with a special team consisting of a dosimetrist, radiation physicist, radiotherapy nurse and radiotherapy technician.
Radiotherapy treatments are applied in two ways, internally and externally. In some treatments, both forms can be applied together.
- Internal Radiotherapy: Radioactive material, source thin wire or special tubes are used in internal radiation therapy. These substances are placed directly in the tumor or in a suitable space in the body. In some cases, it is also possible to process the remaining space after the operation.
- External radiotherapy is the type of treatment applied to most patients. It is usually performed in outpatient clinics or treatment centers by directing the radiation to the diseased tissue using appropriate radiotherapy device(s). External treatments were performed with devices called linear accelerator or cobalt-60 in previous years. However, since these devices were insufficient to deliver sufficient dose to the target during two-dimensional treatments, normal tissue damage and side effects were also high. However, today, depending on the technological developments on radiotherapy devices, devices such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), stereotactic radiotherapy and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy that can apply maximum dose to the target area are used. Thus, the healthy tissue around the diseased tissue is minimally affected. When radiotherapy treatment is decided, the specialist also decides which device will be suitable for the patient.
Which Diseases Does Radiation Oncology Treat?
Radiation Oncology generally engaged with the treatment of the following diseases:
• Head and neck cancers,
• Brain tumors,
• Breast cancer,
• Skin cancers,
• Prostate cancer,
• Bladder cancer,
• Lung cancer,
• Gynecological cancers,
• Soft tissue tumors,
• Bone tumors,
• Lymphomas,
• Childhood tumors,
• Cancers of the digestive system.
