How does radiotherapy work physics

This helps doctors plan the treatment very precisely in 3D, so the tumour bears the brunt of the blow while its neighbouring healthy tissues are spared as much as possible. There are also a variety of other tricks to make the treatment more accurate, such as aiming the beams from a number of angles so that they can closely shape the tumour , or switching up their intensity. Beams of radiation both enter and exit the body through healthy tissue, and tiny movements by the patient and even breathing can put the tumour slightly off target, leading to side effects from damaged healthy tissue.

This is a particular issue for children and young people, whose delicate and growing bodies are particularly susceptible to these off-target effects.

Such patients have a risk of developing another cancer later in life as a result of the therapy, which is why doctors must weigh up the benefits with the risks while planning their treatment. As with any treatment it carries risks, both short- and long-term. But as the technology continues to improve, so too will these be minimised, helping patients live longer, healthier lives. Click here to cancel reply.

Anne August 15, It maybe old but its better then going through chemo…my mother is hoping to get a chance to take this treatment…. Helen July 15, I had radiotherapy when I was 19 and am now Trudie July 15, Michelle Poulton July 14, Although a very interesting article, it would have been much appreciated to mention the highly trained professionals who deliver, plan and ensure the safety of such treatments.

Not so, there is a whole team of Physicists and Dosimetrists planning the individual treatment solutions and ensuring the linear accelerators are calibrated and safe. Of course the actual treatment itself would not be possible without some incredible therapeutic Radiographers. There are other health professionals other than clinicians!!!

Torb July 14, Never really knew much about radiotherapy before but after learning all the details it is nothing short of amazing — it is incredible that science and human ingenuity has gotten us to this point. Hopefully it saves my leg and my life. Sue July 14, V interesting. Anthony Williams July 14, I a one off high dosage radiation treatment for prostate cancer two years ago and all is fine now.

Lesley Cotton July 13, Susan July 13, I read with interest your first article on radiotherapy. My granddaughter is currently undergoing chemo for a brain rhabdomyosarcoma. So I am looking forward to your next article immensely. Mary wilkins July 13, This is one of the most intelligent articles about radiotherapy. Pamela Best July 13, My husband had radiotherapy for prostate cancer five years ago it cured it but 2 years ago he was diagnosed with bladder cancer because he has radiotherapy once he was unable to have it again and when he had a cystomy had to have bladder out everything depended on his previous treatment and what damage it had done.

Would no go near it again had it bee explained properly and the repercussion of it. Vicki July 13, Emerging areas for using SBRT include lung, liver and bone. IGRT involves performing a CT scan at the time of radiation treatment to ensure the target is aligned in the correct location. IGRT can allow for adjustments during treatment in areas of the body that are prone to movement, such as the lungs, and tumors located close to critical organs and tissues.

Radiation can also be used to cut off blood flow to a tumor in vascular organs like the liver. For instance, radioembolization uses microspheres filled with radioactive isotopes to block a tumor's blood supply and starve it. Please type your comment or suggestion into the text box below. Note: we are unable to answer specific questions or offer individual medical advice or opinions.

Please contact your physician with specific medical questions or for a referral to a radiologist or other physician. To locate a medical imaging or radiation oncology provider in your community, you can search the ACR-accredited facilities database. This website does not provide cost information.

The costs for specific medical imaging tests, treatments and procedures may vary by geographic region. Web page review process: This Web page is reviewed regularly by a physician with expertise in the medical area presented and is further reviewed by committees from the Radiological Society of North America RSNA and the American College of Radiology ACR , comprising physicians with expertise in several radiologic areas.

Outside links: For the convenience of our users, RadiologyInfo. Toggle navigation. Overview What is radiation therapy? How is radiation therapy used in cancer care? Overview An increasing number of patients have their cancers treated successfully using radiation therapy.

Professionals involved in radiation therapy treatment include: Radiation oncologists Radiation therapists Radiation oncology nurses Medical radiation physicists Dosimetrists Social workers Dietitians Click on any of the professionals listed above to learn more about that specialty.

What is radiation therapy? Cancer cells are more vulnerable to radiation for two reasons: they divide more rapidly than normal cells they do not repair this damage as effectively as normal cells.

Radiation Therapy Process After radiation therapy has been ordered, a planning stage occurs. Radiation Therapy Techniques Radiation can damage normal cells. It is important that the radiation be targeted to the cancer.

In this case a make-up treatment will be added at the end of your originally scheduled course. The same is true if you cannot come in for a scheduled treatment. Generally a patient can receive radiation therapy to a given area only once. This is because further radiation therapy to that same area might cause unacceptable side effects or permanent damage.

Occasionally, if the radiation tolerance has not been exceeded, someone can receive more radiation even to an area that was already treated. Because the effects of radiation are local, most patients can receive radiation to another part of the body just as if they had no previous radiation. For certain types of cancer, a combination of radiation and chemotherapy are more effective than either one alone. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment which is acting on the whole body as it travels through the bloodstream.

When it is given at the same time as radiation, it often increases the effect of radiation on cancer cells. Unfortunately, sometimes there is also an increase in side effects when both treatments are given together. The exact type of chemotherapy used depends on what kind of cancer is being treated.

Radiation oncologists, physicists and others continue to explore new ways to treat the cancer patient effectively with radiation and radioactive sources. The practice of radiation oncology continues to grow and change. Cancer specialists are conducting studies now to determine what treatment is best for each cancer patient.

These studies are called "clinical trials" or "treatment protocols. All patients who participate in clinical trials are carefully monitored to make sure they are getting quality care.

Cancer patients should talk to their doctor about clinical trials before they choose treatment. Arc : refers to a radiation beam that is not stationary, that is, the beam moves around an axis is a curvedpath during the treatment. Also called a rotation.

Barium : a radiographic contrast agent used in radiation oncology during simulation to visualise specific organs e. Bite Block : a treatment device that is placed in the patient's mouth during treatment for the purpose of positioning oral structures in the radiation beam. Also called a mouthbite or stent. Block : a treatment device made from a lead alloy that is placed in part of the radiation beam by attaching it to the treatment unit on a plastic tray for the purpose of preventing the beam form entering a portion of the body.

A block is used either to spare sensitive or uninvolved body organs. Brachytherapy : refers to radiation therapy given form a very short distance form the radiation source,that is, radioactive needles, seeds, liquid, or tubes are placed inside a body cavity or organ or on the skin. Cesium : an element made radioactive and used in Brachytherapy, gene rally in the form of either needles or tubes. Cone Down Boost : An additional radiation dose delivered to a more narrowly defined port.

Conformal Radiation Therapy : Conformal therapy allows for the radiation beam to conform to the tumour's contour and size, reducing side effects and increasing cure rates. Contrast Material : liquid or gel -type agents introduced into a body cavity for the purpose ofvisualising specific organs. Computerised Tomography CT : a specialised x-ray taken by a "CT" scanner that takes "slices" of abody part.

Dosimetry : the measurement of radiation dose. Dummy : a radioactive source that is made to simulate the size and appearance of a radioactive source on a verification X-Ray.

It is used to prevent radiation exposure to the healthcare workers during the planning phase for a Brachytherapy treatment. Electron Therapy : A form of radiation therapy in which the radiation oncologist selects a specific shallow depth and treats only this area without treating structures above and below this interest point. Field : a specific area of the body designated for treatment.

Generally a field is named by the part of the body that the radiation beam enters. Fraction : Pertaining to a portion of the whole treatment course. Generally a fraction can be described as a treatment visit. Most radiation treatment courses are "fractionated" i. HDR : High dose rate. Refers to a particular method of delivering a dose for Brachytherapy in which the dose rate is much higher than in conventional Brachytherapy. Hyperfractionation : the delivery of treatments more than once per day.

In radiation oncology this term generally refers to two or three treatment visits per day with a separation of at least six hours between treatments. Hyperthermia : the use of heat to help to intensify the effects of radiation.

Implant : refers to the placement of radioactive sources within the body. Intra-operative : refers to radiation treatment delivered while the patient is undergoing surgery. Interstitial : relating to the spaces within an organ or tissue. Refers to the placement of radioactive sources within the tissues of the body. In contrast to intracavitary. Intracavitary : Within a body cavity. Refers to the placement of radioactive sources within a body cavity.

In contrast to interstitial. Iodine : an element made' radioactive and used in Brachytherapy. A non-radioactive form of this element may be used as a radiographic contrast agent during simulation to visualise specific organs. Iridium : an element made radioactive for the use in Brachytherapy. Linear Accelerator : a teletherapy machine that produces radiation by moving particles very rapidly accelerating along a straight path linear and then hitting a target. Linear accelerators are manufactures with the capability of having either a single energy or a dual energy.

The higher the energy, the deeper the beam reaches inside the body. Mantle : specialised radiation treatment field to the chest in which the chest and neck lymph system istreated and the other areas are spared by blocks.

MRI : Magnetic resonance image. Photon Treatment : a form of radiation therapy in which the radiation oncologist selects a specific radiation energy appropriate for the patient's body size and depth of the tumour the higher the energy the deeper the beam reaches inside the body. Contrary to electron treatment, photon treatment deposits a radiation dose above and below the tumour site.

Physicist : the radiation oncology health professional whose primary duty is to oversee the quality assurance aspect of a patient's treatment. Some duties may include calibration and overseeing of the radiation equipment and overseeing charting. Port Film : a radiographic image captured on film that shows the prescribed treatment area port.

A port film is different form an X-Ray in that a port film is taken for the purpose of a record of the body site treated with radiation and is generally not used as a diagnostic tool. Radiation Oncologist : the radiation oncology health professional who is a physician who prescribes and oversees a course of radiation therapy.

Radiographer : the radiation oncology health professional who carries out the radiation prescription by using a radiation machine. Some radiographers also perform treatment simulations and planning. Remote Afterloading : refers to Brachytherapy delivered by loading the radioactive sources into the patient form a remote location. Ribbons : refers to the temporary interstitial placement of radioactive elements. Set Up : a procedure whereby the physical parameters i. A set up may be done on a simulator, radiation therapy treatment unit, or a diagnostic X-Ray unit.

Shield : a treatment device,that' generally is custom made which spares radiation to a specific body area. Simulation : a radiation oncology procedure, performed prior to treatment, carried out on a dedicated"simulator", radiation therapy treatment unit, or diagnostic X-Ray unit during which the treatment parameters patient position, field size, etc.

This procedure "simulates" the actual treatment without delivering the radiation dose. Simulator : a treatment planning machine whose physical parameters mimics those of an actual radiation treatment unit, but without the high radiation beam energy that actually delivers a treatment.

Sources : refers to intracavitary placement or permanent interstitial placement of radioactive elements. In contrast to ribbons. Stereotactic : refers to a method of precisely locating areas in the brain. TBI : total body irradiation. Refers to a radiation beam that encompasses the entire body. Treatment : specifically, the radiation beam time for each field or more generally all ports that are treated in one visit.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Radiotherapy Physics 17 December Hits: What is cancer? How is cancer treated? What is radiation therapy?

How is radiation therapy given? Flow Chart of Radiation Therapy Consultation When you some to the clinic, a radiation oncologist will review your current problem, past medical history, past surgical history, family history, medications, allergies, lifestyle and an organ system by organ system audit making use of any relevant x-rays and lab tests that you already have had.