Probably, there is no worse disease today than cancer. This disease does not look at either age or status. He mercilessly mows down everyone. Modern methods of treating tumors are quite effective if the disease is detected in the early stages. However, cancer treatment also has a downside. For example, radiation therapy, the side effects of which sometimes have high he alth risks.
Benign and malignant tumors
A tumor is a pathological formation in tissues and organs that grows rapidly, causing mortal harm to organs and tissues. All neoplasms can be divided into benign and malignant.
Cells of benign tumors are not much different from he althy cells. They grow slowly and do not spread further than their focus. Treating them is much easier and easier. For the body, they are not fatal.
Cells of malignant neoplasms in their own waystructures are unlike normal he althy cells. Cancer grows rapidly, affecting other organs and tissues (metastasizes).
Benign tumors do not cause much discomfort to the patient. Malignant ones are accompanied by pain and general exhaustion of the body. The patient loses weight, appetite, interest in life.
Cancer develops in stages. The first and second stages have the most favorable prognosis. The third and fourth stages are the germination of the tumor in other organs and tissues, that is, the formation of metastases. Treatment at this stage is aimed at pain relief and prolonging the life of the patient.
No one is immune from such a disease as cancer. People at particular risk are:
- With a genetic predisposition.
- Immunocompromised.
- Wrong lifestyle.
- Working in hazardous working conditions.
- Having received any kind of mechanical injury.
For the purpose of prevention, you need to be examined by a therapist once a year and take tests. For those who are at risk, it is advisable to donate blood for tumor markers. This analysis helps to recognize cancer in the early stages.
How is cancer treated?
There are several ways to treat malignant tumors:
- Surgery. main method. It is used in cases where oncology is still not large enough, and also when there are no metastases (early stages of the disease). Pre-maybe treated with radiation or chemotherapy.
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Radiation therapy for tumors. Irradiation of cancer cells with a special device. This method is used both independently and in combination with other methods.
- Chemotherapy. Cancer treatment with chemicals. Used in conjunction with radiation therapy or surgery to reduce the size of a lump. It is also used to prevent metastasis.
- Hormonotherapy. Used to treat ovarian, prostate, breast and thyroid cancer.
The most effective today is the surgical treatment of tumors. The operation has the least number of side effects and gives the patient more chances for a he althy life. However, the application of the method is not always possible. In such cases, other methods of treatment are used. The most common of which is radiation therapy. Side effects after it, although they cause a lot of he alth problems, but the patient's chances of recovery are high.
Radiation therapy
It is also called radiotherapy. The method is based on the use of ionizing radiation, which absorbs the tumor and self-destructs. Unfortunately, not all cancers are sensitive to radiation. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a method of therapy after a thorough examination and assessment of all risks for the patient.
Radiotherapy treatment, although effective, has a number of side effects. The main one is the destruction of he althytissues and cells. Radiation affects not only the tumor, but also neighboring organs. A radiotherapy method is prescribed in cases where the benefit to the patient is high.
Radium, cob alt, iridium, cesium are used for radiation. Radiation doses are made individually and depend on the characteristics of the tumor.
How is radiotherapy performed?
Radiotherapy can be given in several ways:
- Irradiation at a distance.
- Contact exposure.
- Intracavitary irradiation (a radioactive source is injected into an organ with a neoplasm).
- Interstitial irradiation (a radioactive source is injected into the tumor itself).
Using radiotherapy:
- after surgery (to remove the remnants of oncology);
- before surgery (to reduce the size of the tumor);
- during the development of metastases;
- with recurrence of the disease.
So the method has three purposes:
- Radical - complete removal of the tumor.
- Palliative - reduction of neoplasm in size.
- Symptomatic - elimination of pain symptoms.
Radiation therapy helps to cure many malignant tumors. It can help alleviate the suffering of the patient. And also to prolong his life when healing is impossible. For example, brain radiation therapyprovides the patient with capacity, relieves pain and other unpleasant symptoms.
Who is radiation contraindicated for?
As a method of fighting cancer, radiation therapy is not for everyone. It is prescribed only in cases where the benefit to the patient is higher than the risk of complications. For a separate group of people, radiotherapy is generally contraindicated. These include patients who:
- Severe anemia, cachexia (a sharp decline in strength and exhaustion).
- There are diseases of the heart, blood vessels.
- Radiotherapy of the lungs is contraindicated for cancerous pleurisy.
- There is kidney failure, diabetes mellitus.
- There are bleeding associated with the tumor.
- There are multiple metastases with deep invasion of organs and tissues.
- Blood low in white blood cells and platelets.
- Radiation intolerance (radiation sickness).
For such patients, the course of radiation therapy is replaced by other methods - chemotherapy, surgery (if possible).
It should be noted that those who are indicated for radiation may later suffer from its side effects. Since ionizing rays damage not only the structure of cancer cells, but also he althy cells.
Side effects of radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is the strongest irradiation of the body with radioactive substances. Besides the fact that this method is very effective in the fight against cancer,it has a whole bunch of side effects.
Radiation therapy patient reviews are very different. Some side effects appear after several procedures, while others have almost none. One way or another, any unpleasant phenomena will disappear after the end of the course of radiotherapy.
The most common consequences of the method:
- Weakness, headache, dizziness, chills, fever.
- Disturbed digestive system - nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting.
- Change in blood composition, decrease in platelets and leukocytes.
- Increased heart rate.
- Swelling, dry skin, rashes where radiation was applied.
- Hair loss, hearing loss, vision loss.
- Small blood loss, provoked by fragility of blood vessels.
This is about the main negative points. After radiation therapy (full completion of the course), the work of all organs and systems is restored.
Nutrition and renewal of the body after irradiation
During the treatment of tumors, no matter how, you need to eat right and balanced. In this way, many unpleasant symptoms of the disease (nausea and vomiting) can be avoided, especially if a course of radiation therapy or chemotherapy is prescribed.
So:
- Food should be taken often and in small portions.
- Food should be varied, rich and fortified.
- For a while, you should refuse food,which contains preservatives, as well as from pickles, smoked and fatty foods.
- You need to limit your consumption of dairy products due to possible lactose intolerance.
- Soda and alcoholic drinks are prohibited.
- Preference should be given to fresh vegetables and fruits.
In addition to proper nutrition, the patient should adhere to the following rules:
- More rest, especially after the radiation procedures themselves.
- Do not take a hot bath, do not use hard sponges, toothbrushes, decorative cosmetics.
- Spend more time outdoors.
- Keep a he althy lifestyle.
Radiation therapy patient reviews are very different. However, without it, successful cancer treatment is impossible. By following simple rules, many unpleasant consequences can be avoided.
For what diseases is RT prescribed?
Radiotherapy is widely used in medicine for the treatment of cancer and some other diseases. The dose of radiation depends on the severity of the disease and can be divided into a week or more. One session lasts from 1 to 5 minutes. Radiation exposure is used to treat tumors that do not contain fluid or cysts (skin, cervical, prostate, breast, brain, lung, leukemia, and lymphomas).
Most often, radiation therapy is prescribed after surgery or before it in order to reduce the size of the tumor, as well as killremnants of cancer cells. In addition to malignant tumors, diseases of the nervous system, bones, and some others are also treated with the help of radio emissions. Radiation doses in such cases differ from oncological doses.
Repair Radiation Therapy
Irradiation of cancer cells is accompanied by simultaneous irradiation of he althy cells. Side effects after RT are not pleasant phenomena. Of course, after the course is canceled, the body recovers after a while. However, having received a single dose of radiation, he althy tissues are not able to endure repeated exposure. In case of tumor recurrence, the use of radiotherapy a second time is possible in emergency cases and at lower doses. The procedure is prescribed when the benefit to the patient outweighs the risks and complications to his he alth.
If re-irradiation is contraindicated, the oncologist may prescribe hormone therapy or chemotherapy.
Radiation therapy for advanced cancers
Radiotherapy is used not only to treat cancer, but also to prolong the life of the patient in the last stages of cancer, as well as to alleviate the symptoms of the disease.
When a tumor spreads to other tissues and organs (metastasizes), there is no chance of recovery. The only thing left is to reconcile and wait for that “judgment day”. In this case, radiotherapy:
- Reduces, and sometimes completely removes pain attacks.
- Reduces pressure on the nervous system, on the bones, maintains capacity.
- Reduces blood loss, if any.
Irradiation for metastases is assigned only to the places of their distribution. It should be remembered that radiation therapy has a variety of side effects. Therefore, if the patient has a sharp depletion of the body and he cannot withstand the dose of radiation, this method is not practiced.
Conclusion
The worst of diseases is cancer. The whole insidiousness of the disease is that it can not manifest itself in any way for many years and in just a couple of months bring a person to death. Therefore, for the purpose of prevention, it is important to periodically be examined by a specialist. Detection of an ailment in the early stages always ends in complete healing. One of the effective methods of fighting cancer is radiation therapy. Side effects, although unpleasant, however, completely disappear after the cancellation of the course.
