What are the Different Types of Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy is given through different methods, depending on the type of cancer, the location of the cancer, and the patient’s health. Sometimes, radiation therapy is used in combination with other treatments. The following are some of the different types of radiation therapy with brief explanations of their goals: • external radiation (external beam therapy) With external radiation (external beam therapy), radiation is administered by a large machine that points the energy waves directly at the tumor. The radiation therapist controls the machine. Since radiation is used to kill cancer cells, special shields may be made to protect the tissue surrounding the treatment area. Radiation treatments are painless and usually last a few minutes. • internal radiation (brachytherapy, implant radiation) With internal radiation (brachytherapy, implant radiation), a high dose of radiation is given inside the body as close to the cancer as possible.
There are several types of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, including: External beam radiation therapy: External beam radiation therapy is the most common form of radiation therapy. Before treatment begins, detailed planning or simulation is performed. During simulation, the health care providers will use measurements from scans and calculations to determine the precise location to aim the radiation. Small tattoos are placed on the patient’s skin so that treatments can be properly directed throughout the entire course of radiation. Simulation may take several hours. During the treatment, the patient is positioned on a table so that a beam from a machine outside the body may be aimed at the tumor. The radiation treatment itself lasts only a few minutes and is generally given five times a week for several weeks.
Radiation therapy is given through different methods, depending on the type of cancer, the location of the cancer, and the patient’s health. Sometimes, Radiation Therapy is used in combination with other treatments. The following are some of the different types of Radiation Therapy: External Beam Radiation Therapy With external beam radiation therapy, radiation is administered by a large machine that points the energy waves directly at the tumor. The Radiation Therapist is the individual who “sets up” the patient into the prescribed position and delivers the dose of radiation to the patient. The radiation treatments themselves are painless and last only a few moments. IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) IMRT is a special type of external beam radiation treatment which allows the physician to treat the tumor to a higher dose to better destroy the cancer while sparing more of the healthy surrounding tissue.
Here at Massey, radiation therapy is given through different methods, depending on the type of cancer, the location of the cancer and the patient’s health. Sometimes radiation therapy is used in combination with other treatments. The following includes some of the different types of radiation therapy with brief explanations of their goals: • Stereotactic radiation – this type of radiation treatment has been an important development in the treatment of brain cancer. By using specialized high precision immobilization devises, such as head frames and mold masks, very narrow radiation beams can precisely deliver high doses of radiation directly to the tumor site while sparing the adjacent tissues. Depending on the size and location of the tumor, this type of radiation may be used alone or in combination with other types of external beam treatment.
External beam radiation therapy (EBRT): This is the most commonly used type of radiation therapy. The emergence of EBRT as a treatment for prostate cancer occurred in the 1950s with the development of high-powered X-ray machines called linear accelerators. Linear accelerators produce very powerful X-rays that penetrate deep into the body. These X-rays destroy tumor cells by damaging their DNA. Just as with a diagnostic X-ray, there is a brief exposure to the radiation, typically lasting several minutes. Once the treatment is over, there is no radiation in the patient’s body. The treatment is completely non-invasive, so there is no discomfort to the patient during the delivery of the radiation. EBRT is typically given once per day, five days per week. Primary treatment for localized prostate cancer usually requires about eight weeks of treatment. Brachytherapy: Is also referred to as “seed therapy” or a “prostate implant.
