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Radiation Oncology: Things You Never Heard Of

Have you ever wondered how much knowledge you have about medical specialties? Not being a doctor is not a strong enough reason to keep your head in the sand when it comes to knowing some of the trending topics in the medical field. Some of the things you just have to know.

As you may (or may not) know, the World Cancer Research Fund is working round the clock to make cancer a thing of the past. Scientists are working tirelessly to advance Radiation Oncology. Many families have been robbed of their loved ones by cancer. Last year alone, USA's National Cancer Institute revealed in a report that a total of 609,640 people would die in the same year as a result of cancer. But we believe that there is hope. This deadly disease can be beaten.

This is why we came up with this article. We want you to boost your knowledge with the latest developments that are happening in the medical world. To be precise, we want you to know about the recent advances in Radiation Oncology.

In the next few minutes, you will learn about the following:

  • Radiation Oncology
  • Newest technologies of Radiation Oncology
  • The progress of Radiation Oncology
  • Radiation Oncology in Turkey

So read on, and be kind to share this knowledge with some of your friends.

 

What exactly is Radiation Oncology?

Radiation Oncology can be simply defined as the use of high-energy waves of radiation to treat, and cure cancer. Suppose it's too late, and it fails to treat or cure, radiation oncology can at least reduce the pain caused by cancer.

Cancer treatment using radiation oncology is usually referred to as Radiation Therapy or Radiotherapy. The medical team that is responsible for overseeing this kind of treatment consists of Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, as well as Radiation Therapists.

Radiation therapy comes in two types. It can either be external-beam and internal radiation therapy or brachy therapy. The difference between the two is that external-beam delivers radiation waves using a machine outside the body, whereas treatment with internal radiation involves the placement of radioactive sources in the location of the tumor.

When it comes to the type of radiation to give a patient, there are quite a number of factors to consider. As you may (or may not) know, there are more than 100 types of cancer, so the criteria used to choose the type of radiation to administer to a patient is based on cancer that the patient has. Besides the cancer type, the Cancer Care Team may also consider the following factors:

  • The tumor size
  • The overall health of the patient.
  • Age and medical history of the patient.
  • The location of the tumor
  • The proximity of the tumor to the normal body cells.
  • Whether the patient will require a different type of cancer treatment.

Although Radiation therapy is effective in treating cancer, when discovered at an early stage, it also comes with side effects. The radiation therapy side effects come from damage to normal cells, which are at close proximity to the treated area. Not every patient experiences these side effects.

Reaction to radiation therapy usually starts after two or three weeks of treatment, and it can even overlap the final week of treatment.

ASLO CHECK: The Lasest Technologies of Radiation Oncology 

 

Newest technologies of Radiation Oncology

As mentioned earlier, scientists are dedicated to making radiation oncology more efficient and safer for the cancer patient. Having a goal of reducing the cancer deaths to zero, the Cancer Research Foundation has gathered together brilliant young minds who are devoted to putting an end to this deadly disease.

The foundation has seeded capital to more than 180 researchers who are focusing on combating cancer through advancing the equipment and cancer medication. Recent studies have proved to be meaningful, as there has been a rapid decline in the cancer mortality rate in recent years.

Technology is being used to advance the advance radiation oncology. As technology evolves, so does the radiation oncology. This is an indication that radiotherapy services can only get better. The recent technologies used in radiation oncology have shorter treatments, fewer side effects, and it improves the patient's quality of life.

These newest technologies provide a three-dimensional image of cancer tumors -making it easy for oncologists to limit damage to nearby healthy cells. This means that the latest equipment will only target the affected area.

Suppose that the normal cells get affected, the patient is given protective drugs which will swiftly help the healthy (affected) cells to recover.

 

The progress of Radiation Oncology

In the last ten years, there has been notable progress in the field of radiation oncology. Major developments consist of the advent of imaging modalities into radiation therapy planning, the availability of equipment as well as software for safe delivery of radiation dose and the individualization of radiation therapy. It’s also important to note that there has been a combination of radiation therapy with molecular targeting approaches so as to overpower tumor cells that are radioresistant.

ALSO CHECK: Types of Cancer that can be Treated by Radiation Oncology

 

Radiation Oncology in Turkey

Acıbadem International Hospital is a reference for the hospital for foreign cancer patients since the day it was established in 2005. The international hospital has a Patient-Oriented Centered Care that seeks to make both foreign and local patients feel at home.

The hospital has been providing services in several branches of medicine. These include Radiology, Outpatient Chemotherapy Unit, Nuclear Medicine, etc.

As Turkey’s pioneers of modern healthcare services, Acıbadem International Hospital has a Radiation Oncology department that aims to provide the best services to cancer patients through a multidisciplinary approach and experienced team.

The Cancer Care Team at Acıbadem International Hospital closely follow technological and scientific developments, and they offer state-of-the-art radiotherapy to all patients.

This content is edited by Flymedi Medical Editors in August 2019.

 

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