Radiotherapy: One of the main methods of cancer treatment
Radiotherapy is an important method of cancer treatment that uses ionizing radiation to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. It can be used alone or in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.
1. Types of Radiation Therapy Techniques
Radiotherapy is divided into two general categories: External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) and Internal Beam Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy).
1.1. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT)
In this method, radiation is delivered to the tumor from an external device (such as a linear accelerator).
The most important external beam radiation therapy techniques:
✅3D-CRT (Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy)
• Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy in which the beams are adjusted according to the shape of the tumor.
• Reduced damage to healthy tissues.
✅IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy)
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy that varies the dose of radiation in different areas.
• Very precise and suitable for complex tumors.
✅IGRT (Image-Guided Radiation Therapy)
• Image-guided radiation therapy is given at each imaging session to correct the position of the tumor.
✅SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy)
• Stereotactic body radiation therapy that is performed at a high dose in a few limited sessions.
• Suitable for small cancers and limited metastases.
✅SRS (Stereotactic Radiosurgery)
• Similar to SBRT but used for brain tumors.
• Includes techniques such as Gamma Knife and CyberKnife.
1.2. Internal Radiation Therapy (Brachytherapy)
In this method, radioactive materials are placed directly into or near the tumor.
✅Low-Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy
• Low dose of radiation over a long period of time.
• Often used for prostate and cervical cancer.
✅High-Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy
• High dose of radiation in a short period of time.
• For breast, cervical, and some other cancers.
2. Benefits of radiation therapy
✔️Preserve organ function: Compared to surgery, many patients can be treated without removing an organ.
✔️Control tumor growth: In some cases, it can completely destroy a tumor.
✔️Reduce cancer pain and symptoms: In patients with advanced cancers, radiation therapy helps reduce symptoms.
✔️Effective in many cancers: including breast, prostate, lung, brain, head and neck cancer.
3. When is radiation therapy performed?
⏳Depending on the type of cancer, the stage of the disease, and the doctor’s treatment plan, radiation therapy is given at three main times:
✅Before surgery (Neoadjuvant Therapy):
• To shrink the tumor and make surgery easier.
✅After surgery (Adjuvant Therapy):
• To destroy any remaining cancer cells and reduce the chance of cancer coming back.
✅As the main treatment (Definitive Therapy):
• If surgery is not possible or not needed.
4. Radiation Therapy Devices and Comparison of Elekta with Other Brands
Your center uses the “Elekta” device, which is one of the most advanced radiation therapy devices in the world.
✅Elekta Advantages:
• High precision in radiotherapy
• Reduced damage to healthy tissues
• Possibility of using advanced techniques such as IMRT, IGRT and SBRT
• Shorter treatment time than some other devices
✅Comparison with other brands:
| brand | Features | Compare with Elekta |
|---|---|---|
| Varian | High quality - True Beam technology - High precision | Almost the same as Elekta |
| Siemens | Older devices - suitable for standard radiotherapy | Elekta has better technology |
| Accuray (Cyber Knife) | Suitable for stereotactic radiotherapy | More accuracy in specific cases - but Elekta has broader capabilities |
5. What cancers is radiation therapy most often used for?
✅Breast cancer
✅Prostate cancer
✅Lung cancer
✅Brain cancer
✅Head and neck cancer
✅Cervical and uterine cancer
✅Esophageal and stomach cancer
✅Colon and rectal cancer
✅Some blood cancers such as lymphoma
6. Who cannot have radiation therapy?
❌Women who are pregnant: Radiation may harm the fetus.
❌Patients with a history of excessive radiation therapy: If an area has already received a high dose of radiation, retreatment may not be possible.
❌Patients with severe underlying conditions: Such as kidney failure, severe heart problems, or uncontrolled diabetes.
❌Patients with compromised immune systems: In some cases, radiation therapy may be harmful to people who are immunocompromised.
7. Who can undergo radiation therapy?
✔️People who need to control the growth of cancer.
✔️Patients for whom surgery is not possible.
✔️Patients who need to reduce the symptoms of cancer.
✔️Patients who need to combine radiation therapy with chemotherapy or surgery.
summary
✅Radiation therapy is one of the most effective methods of treating cancer, used alone or in combination with other treatment methods.
✅Different radiation therapy techniques include EBRT (3D-CRT, IMRT, IGRT, SBRT) and brachytherapy (HDR and LDR).
✅The duration of treatment varies between 1 and 35 sessions, depending on the technique used.
✅The Elekta device is one of the best radiation therapy devices with high precision and reduced damage to healthy tissue.
✅Patients who are pregnant or have certain problems may not be suitable for radiation therapy.