By Lucas Elias
Radiation therapy, one of the dynamic fields at the healthcare and technology intersection, has changed how we diagnose, manage, and treat different medical conditions, including radiation-related health problems.
With the capability to harness radiation power, experts at UEW Healthcare say this branch transforms patient care, improving outcomes and enabling accurate diagnosis.
What is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy uses high-frequency X-rays along a wide spectrum of various wavelengths of invisible and visible light. For instance, low-frequency radiation usually comes from ultraviolet light, radio, visible light, microwaves, and infrared light.
Higher-frequency energy, on the other hand, includes gamma rays and X-rays for treatment. Radiation therapy can kill cancerous cells by indirectly oxidizing water or directly affecting the DNA.
Over a long period, oncologists have been giving radiation therapy with a small radiation amount because traditional radiation forms were less accurate. Slow, everyday radiation doses will likely cause more irreversible damage to cancerous cells than normal cells, as normal cells may repair sublethal damage.
However, better ways exist to completely include normal tissues in radiation fields. This means oncologists can now increase daily doses.
Radiation Therapy Types for Treating Radiation-Related Illnesses
The following are radiation therapy types and how specialists can use them for different forms of cancers:
- Stereotactic radiosurgery: It is a specialized radiation therapy form that uses tiny beams to treat some malignant/benign brain conditions and brain metastases. Normally, it involves a single, high-dose, and highly accurate treatment session.
- Intensity-modulated: It uses a computer-controlled linear accelerator to deliver multiple radiation beams with different intensities. In addition, it enables oncologists to customize the dose of radiation to match the tumor’s shape, sparing healthy surrounding tissues from damage.
- Stereotactic body: This delivers radiation doses in just a couple of sessions. Specialists use it to treat different forms of cancer, including cancers of the pancreas, prostate, lung, and liver.
AI in Radiotherapy
AI applications enable specialists to innovate in their radiotherapy practices. Tools that use AI can improve therapy’s quality assurance, efficiency, and accuracy.
Oncologists can apply such tools at every stage of patients’ treatment, from diagnosis and treatment to follow-up. This, in turn, improves automatization.
The technology has already entered various subfields of medical care, including illness detection, medical imaging, and cancer treatments.
More Technological Advancements
Refined treatment procedures and technological advancements have changed. We treat radiation-related illnesses and administer radiation therapy, ensuring the patient’s recovery journey is comfortable and smooth.
Among the key breakthroughs is the development of targeted and precise delivery systems. Modern systems, like IGRT and IMRT, allow specialists to concentrate on beams more accurately on cancer cells and spare surrounding tissues. This approach, in turn, minimizes the risks of burns, among other adverse impacts.
In addition, integrating advanced imaging strategies into the treatment procedures enables oncologists to visualize tumors with more clarity. This doesn’t help in effective treatment planning. It also ensures radiation is precisely directed where it’s required, reducing unnecessary exposure to every healthy tissue.
The bottom line is that radiotherapy now has amazing developments, thanks to inventive and dedicated pioneers. This, in turn, has enabled oncologists to treat various radiation-related diseases, including cancer.
