AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Radium implant3/15/2023 X-rays may be taken to confirm the accuracy of your treatment. You’ll be able to communicate with the therapist through an intercom. Once you are in the correct position, the radiation therapist will go into a separate, nearby room to turn on the machine and watch you on a monitor. You should remain still during the treatment, but you do not have to hold your breath. ![]() The radiation therapist may put special shields (or blocks) between the machine and other parts of your body to help protect normal tissues. You will lie on the treatment table, positioned under the radiation machine. The treatment takes only a few minutes, but each session lasts about 15 minutes because of the time it takes to set up the equipment and place you in the correct position. What happens during each treatment visit?Įxternal radiation treatments, done on an outpatient basis, are painless and like having a regular X-ray. Shorter durations of radiation therapy may be used to relieve symptoms. Weekend breaks allow normal cells to recover. Radiation therapy to try and cure cancer is usually delivered daily, Monday through Friday, for about five to eight weeks. Questions You May Have About External Radiation Therapy How long does radiation therapy take?Įach radiation therapy treatment takes about 10 minutes. Most patients can continue many of their normal activities during radiation therapy. Can I continue my normal activities during radiation therapy? You will only lose hair in the area being treated with the radiation. Will I lose my hair from radiation therapy? ![]() After that, you begin your treatment visits. This is followed by a set-up visit to test the equipment that will be used to deliver your treatment and position any shields to protect healthy tissue or devices to help you lie still during the treatment. After determining the best way to deliver radiation therapy for your cancer, your radiation oncologist will oversee a simulation of your treatment to ensure that the appropriate radiation dose is delivered to the right location, and that as little radiation as possible is delivered to normal tissue. He’ll evaluate your cancer, which includes a review of your medical history, a physical exam and scanning tests (including X-rays and computed tomography scans). Your Cooper radiation oncologist will decide how much radiation you need, how it should be delivered, and how many treatments you should have. If you receive therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals you’ll have a higher level of radiation in your body and will have to take more precautions. If the radiation is contained in a closed implant, the radioactive material cannot escape, but precautions, such as limitation of visitors, are taken anyway. With brachytherapy, your body may emit a small amount of radiation for a short time. ![]() External radiation therapy only affects targeted cells for a moment. Will I be radioactive?Įven though the effects of radiation are powerful, you will not become permanently radioactive. Radiation therapists administer radiation therapy treatments, under a radiation oncologist’s prescription and supervision. The implants can be permanent or temporary. In brachytherapy, a radioactive source is implanted directly into the cancerous area. During external radiation, the most common type of radiation therapy, a machine directs high-energy rays at the cancer and some normal surrounding tissue. Radiation therapy can be given externally or internally (called brachytherapy). Unlike chemotherapy, which exposes the entire body to cancer-fighting chemicals, radiation therapy affects only the tumor and the surrounding area. Radiation may affect healthy cells however, most normal cells appear to recover fully from the effects of the treatment. Radiation therapy uses special equipment to deliver high doses of radiation to cancerous tumors, destroying the genetic material of the cells which kills or damages them so they cannot grow, multiply, or spread. However, cancer cells grow and divide more rapidly than many of the normal cells around them, making them more sensitive to radiation therapy. All cells in our body, including healthy and cancerous cells, grow and divide.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |