Radiation therapy is often used to treat cancer, but does radiation therapy kill cancer? Here''s the answer:
The term radiation therapy often refers to treatment with external radiation beams, that is, high-energy beams come from an external device directed towards a specific point on the affected person’s body, and this works to destroy cancer cells by destroying the genetic material responsible for their growth and division.
The question here is: Does radiotherapy eliminate cancer? Here is the answer as follows
Does radiation therapy kill cancer?
Radiation therapy is one of the treatment methods used to get rid of cancer when used at certain frequencies.
Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by destroying their genetic material, but this type of treatment does not kill these cells immediately, as it may take a few weeks or days for the DNA of cancer cells to be damaged.
These cells then die within a period of several weeks or months after the completion of radiotherapy sessions.
Side effects of radiotherapy
After learning the answer to “Does radiotherapy kill cancer?” We note that radiation therapy, like any other medical treatment, causes some side effects when used to treat cancer, but it must be noted that these effects vary from one patient to another depending on the type of cancer, its location, in addition to the dose of radiation used in treatment.
The main reason for the appearance of these side effects is that the frequencies used to get rid of cancer cells lead to damage to some healthy cells and tissues located near the area exposed to radiotherapy.
These body reactions to radiation therapy often appear during the second or third week of treatment.
Among the most important side effects that appear when using radiotherapy, which are the most common among patients, we mention the following:
Skin or complexion problems
Most individuals who are exposed to radiation therapy suffer from dryness, itching, peeling, or the appearance of some ulcers on the skin. The appearance of these effects depends entirely on the part that was exposed to this type of treatment. The good news is that skin problems can disappear after a few minutes. Weeks after the end of treatment.
Fatigue and extreme fatigue
Fatigue is the feeling of exhaustion and fatigue for a long period of time. In most cases, the degree of feeling this type of fatigue depends on the patient’s treatment plan. For example, when the patient is exposed to two types of treatment, this leads to an increase in his feeling of fatigue and exhaustion.
Types of radiation therapy
Radiation therapy includes two main types
External beam radiation therapy
This type of radiotherapy involves an external machine responsible for emitting a beam of radiation targeting the affected area that needs treatment. It is worth knowing that external radiotherapy is the most common and used.
Internal beam radiation therapy
This treatment depends on introducing radioactive material into the body in the place that requires treatment, and it includes many types, the most prominent of which are brachytherapy, and drinking or receiving injections of radioactive liquid.
The primary goal of undergoing this type of radiation therapy is to limit the exposure of healthy tissue around the area affected by cancer to radiation.
Thus, we have provided an answer to the question: Does radiotherapy eliminate cancer? And the types of radiotherapy used in this.
