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Essays on radiation therapy
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Essays on radiation therapy
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Introduction: Radiation therapy is the utilization of radiation in order to treat diseases like cancer as well as to detect other ailments that someone may have. Since the development of radiation therapy many advancements have been made both to the process of using radiation itself, which in turn increased its effectiveness for medical use, and to the study of other possible uses for radiation. The concepts behind radiation therapy are not overly complicated, but they are still revolutionary ideas that have greatly impacted society and people’s wellness. Development of Radiation Therapy: The beginnings of radiation therapy were a result of x-rays, first discovered by a German physicist named Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. During experimentation with electricity, he found that certain types of energy were able to pass through his body and produce an image of his skeletal structure. Shortly after Roentgen’s discovery of how to produce x-rays, the medical potential of them was explored and used to diagnose health issues. The use of radiation was taken even further than x-rays by Emil Grubbe, who became the first radiation oncologist. Radiation oncology is the study of the therapeutic benefits of radiation. Grubbe earned this title because he was the first to propose using x-rays as treatment for breast cancer, and his experiment was accompanied by immense success. Many people followed Grubbe’s footsteps and became radiation oncologists. Methods for treatment improved in many areas from things like when dosage should be given, how much should be given per dose, and the ability to pinpoint and attack even the deepest cancerous tumors. After these improvements many radiation oncologists changed their focus to more specific treatments an... ... middle of paper ... ...ncer Center, 2014. Web. May 18, 2014. Frey, Rebecca J. "Radiation therapy." The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Laurie J. Fundukian. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Science in Context. Web. 19 May 2014. Washington, Charles M., and Dennis Leaver, eds. Principles and Practice of Radiation Therapy, 3rd ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier, 2010. Meyer, John L., ed. IMRT, IGRT, SBRT: Advances in the Treatment Planning and Delivery of Radiotherapy. New York: Karger, 2007. "Radiation therapy." World of Health. Gale, 2000. Science in Context. Web. 19 May 2014. "Radioactive implants." World of Health. Gale, 2007. Science in Context. Web. 19 May 2014. "Radioisotopes in medicine." World of Physics. Gale, 2007. Science in Context. Web. 19 May 2014. Chao, Clifford, et al. Radiation Oncology: Management Decisions. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, May 16, 2011. Print.
Fitzgerald, M., et al. “Red/near-infrared irradiation therapy for treatment of central nervous system injuries and disorders.” Rev. Neurosci. 24.2: (2013): 205-26.
According to Helibron and Seidel (2011) nuclear medicine began as a simple experiment in the early twentieth century by George de Hevesy. De Hevesy started the experiment by deciding to test the effects of radiation on living things, beginning with bean plants, then onto furred animals, and then continued onto finding the effects of radiation on the human body, when he did this he became the first person to ever use radiation on a human being. He along with his partner E. Hofer, in 1931, consumed Deuterium which they had diluted with tea and found that traces of radioactivity stayed within their bodies for between eight to eighteen days. This was the first known use of radiation on humans (p. 1). This was just the beginning though, as time moved on the use of nuclear energy advanced and as it advanced it began to bleed into more subjects than those that it had been used in before, such as, nuclear medicine. Although it has its drawbacks, such as nuclear waste, there are many different benefits to nuclear medicine. Examples of such would be advances in therapy and treatment of disease...
the effective doses from diagnostic CT procedures are typically estimated to be in the range of 1 to 10 mSv. This range is not much less than the lowest doses of 5 to 20 mSv estimated to have been received by some of the Japanese survivors of the atomic bombs. These survivors, who are estimated to have experienced doses slightly larger than those encountered in CT, have demonstrated a small but increased radiation-related excess relative risk for
3. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) delivers small high doses of high radiation to a precise target within the body, and is usually considered for early stage lung cancer.
At this day in age we are constantly trying to improve the field of medicine in any way that we possibly can. We cherish every birthday and continually try to prolong life. Not only through every field of medicine, especially in terms of cancer. The American Cancer Society is “the official sponsor of birthdays” and is making leaps and bounds in the types of care that cancer patients receive. One of these many breakthroughs is the practice of Stereotactic (Body) Radiotherapy or S(B)RT. SBRT and other radiation therapies have the ability to greatly improve the way that we treat the issue of cancer and the variation of treatment options; however, they have raised the concerns of long term effects from radiation and cost-effectiveness. As research has begun to show, radiation therapies are having great success in curing cancer.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, (2009). Radiation Therapy and Side Effects. Susan G. Koman for the Cure. Retrieved from:
Radiation therapy is a complex treatment plan to treat cancer in patients. Its treatment can be used alone or in conjunction with surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is delivered by a team of individuals who specialize in the treatment of cancer. There are several ways in which the radiation can be delivered to the patient with specialized equipment. Radiation therapy is an exciting field of study that can be beneficial to patients who are affected by cancer.
Radiation has changed drastically over the past 118 years. Exposures are much quicker, digital imaging is a possibility in most hospitals, and most importantly, radiation protection. Many people have died, some without realizing that they were killing themselves, for the advancement of x-rays. Because of these advancements physicians are able to tell patients what is going on very quickly and without much delay. It is very important to remember the 3 cardinal rules: distance, time and shielding.
Another treatment that is used to help a cancer patients overcome the disease is radiation therapy. Although very affective and used commonly, thi...
How is radiation therapy being improved some might ask,"Doctors and other scientists are conducting research studies called clinical trials to learn how to use radiation therapy to treat cancer
Radiation therapists work closely with patients to fight cancer. According to Health Care Careers, Oncologists, Dosimetrists and nurses are some of the professionals that a radiation therapist works with while caring for a cancer patient. This group of professionals will determine a specialized treatment plan. The first step usually includes a CT scan performed by a radiologist to find the exact area that needs to be targeted with x-rays. Next, the therapist uses a special machine that emits radiation called a Linear Accelerator. They use this machine during a treatment called external beam therapy. During this process, the Linear Accelerator will project x-rays at targeted cancer cells or tumors. Another therapist will be in a different room monitoring the patient’s viral signs until the procedure is over. The external therapy l...
The most common type of radiation therapy that is used involves exposure of patients to external radiations. In this method, a beam containing high-energy X-rays is directed to a specific region of the body to irradiate the main tumors. However, the problem with this technique is that the ability to hit normal tissues of adjacent organs (Noda et al., 2009). Different from this, targeted radionuclide therapy functions like chemotherapy. A radionuclide labeled molecule is administered either orally or intravenously such that it delivers radiations that are sufficiently toxic to the site of the disease to kill the target cells (Bolus & Brady, 2011). However, the main difference with chemotherapy is that the drugs or toxins only...
Gamma radiation therapy kills cancer cells by damaging their individual DNA. Therapy can either damage DNA directly or create charged particles (free radicals) within the cells that can in turn damage the DNA. Damaged cancer cells either stop dividing or die. They are then broken down and eliminated by natural processes inside of the body. However radiation therapy can also damage normal cells. The amount of radiation that normal tissue can safely receive is known for all parts of the body. Doctors use this information to help them decide where to aim radiation during treatment.
Nuclear medicine is the use of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear medicine records the radiation that is emitting from the body, unlike x-rays which determine the radiation emitted by external objects. Nuclear medicine scans show the function of anatomy and are known as a physiological imaging modality. The two most common forms of nuclear medicine are “SPECT” single photon emission computed tomography and “PET” positron emission tomography.
The following dates are important achievement’s that helped Nuclear Medicine to improve and overcome milestones that once appeared impossible to achieve.