Radiotherapy: Types of Radiation Therapy

Radiotherapy: Types of Radiation Therapy

Radiotherapy, also known as radiation therapy, is used to treat tumors. Along with this, its other most common application is in the treatment of cancer. A higher dose of radiotherapy is used to treat cancer, whereas a lower dosage is used during X-ray scans.

Let Us Discuss Some Common Questions About Radiotherapy:

What Are The Types Of Radiotherapy?

The type of cancer/tumor, its location, its proximity to sensitive tissues/organs, age, and other medical conditions determine the type of radiotherapy one might be exposed to. There are two types of radiotherapy: external beam radiotherapy treatment and internal radiotherapy treatment.

External beam radiotherapy is a local treatment wherein the radiation only affects a specific part of your body. On the other hand, internal radiation treatment involves injecting a substance in your body that emits radiation that can either be in solid or liquid form.

When Does One Undergo Radiotherapy Treatment?

Radiotherapy is most commonly used to treat cancer. Along with cancer, thyroid diseases and blood disorders too use radiotherapy in their treatment plans.

What Are The Alternatives To Radiotherapy Treatment?

Radiotherapy isn't an ideal treatment for cancer as it causes the risk of repeated occurrence. There are various alternatives to radiotherapy. Some of the popular ones are Chemoembolization, Photodynamic Therapy, Proton Beam Therapy, and ablation in various forms such as Laser Ablation, Radiofrequency Ablation, and Microwave Ablation.

What Are The Side-Effects Of Radiation Therapy?

There are various benefits of radiation therapy, but like other forms of treatment, this too has some side-effects. Such side-effects are different for each individual and their exposure to the radiotherapy treatment.

Radiotherapy treatment is a local treatment, i.e. it affects only that body part where the radio waves are being directed. They come with minor side-effects such as dryness, itching, blistering, or peeling of the skin. Such skin problems do not last long and generally tend to normalize once the treatment ends. One may also experience fatigue while undergoing radiotherapy. In extreme cases, one even runs the chance of contracting cancer even as they are undergoing treatment for the same.

How Many Times Can A Person Undergo Radiotherapy?

The human body can only take a limited amount of exposure to radiation. It purely depends on how much radiation a part of your body has been exposed to in the past. If a particular region has received safe levels of radiation therapy in the past, other areas can be treated provided they are not close to each other.

Make sure you maintain a healthy diet while undergoing radiotherapy treatment. Healing your body is vital and maintaining a proper diet is imperative to the healing process. Make sure you eat enough protein and not have calorie-deficit nutrition. If you have a mediclaim coverage, it might cover only a certain type of treatment. Make sure you are aware what your plan covers.

Last but not least, be brave and stay hopeful!

Learning about radiotherapy might have intrigued you on other alternatives to treatment. You can read about Chemotherapy, Colostomy, Leukemia, and more on our health insurance article page.

Sources -

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/radiation-therapy

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/radiation-therapy/about/pac-20385162