
Radiotherapy is the most important type of non-surgical treatment for cancer [Tobias]. About 45-50% of all cancer patients can be cured, approximately 30-40% of these by radiotherapy, either alone or in combination with other treatment modalities such as surgery and chemotherapy. Radiotherapy is also important for the palliative treatment of cancer patients. About 50% of all cancer patients need radiotherapy, either as part of curative or palliative treatments [DeVita et al; Inter-Society Council; Vermorken and Schermer]. Considerable improvements have been seen in radiotherapy during the past decade, and more improvements can be foreseen. While technological improvements in radiotherapy are important, perhaps even more important is the developing knowledge concerning which patients can benefit the most from radiotherapy and how radiotherapy should be applied to each cancer patient. WHAT IS RADIOTHERAPY AND DOES IT WORK? Radiotherapy is treatment of malignant tumors with ionizing radiation which causes ionization and damage in important molecules, such as desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Ionizing radiation affects normal tissues as well as cancerous tissues. Therefore, the goal of the radiation oncologist is to lethally damage cancer tissue with a minimum of damage to healthy surrounding tissue [Tobias]. Speaking generally, there is no question that radiotherapy works, in the sense that it kills cancer cells. The two determinants of the final effects of radiotherapy on the tumor are the sensitivity of the cancer cell and the volume of the tumor. Radiotherapy reduces the size of tumors, eradicating them completely when they are small and sensitive to radiation. It can cure many different types of cancer, either alone or in conjunction with other means, especially surgery. Not all cancers can be cured by irradiation, but radiotherapy can still reduce the size of tumors, leading to reduced symptoms and improved quality of life for the cancer patient (palliation). In the c
Page Count:
50
Publication Date:
1996-01-01
Publisher:
SBU
ISBN-10:
9187890348
ISBN-13:
9789187890345
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