Role of Medical Radiation in Lung Cancer - Term Paper Example

ROLE OF MEDICAL RADIATION IN LUNG CANCER By Name Course Instructor Institution City/State Date Table of Contents ROLE OF MEDICAL RADIATION IN LUNG CANCER 1 Table of Contents 2 Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Lung Cancer Overview 4 Statistics 5 Role of Radiation 6 Process 7 Side Effects 8 Conclusion 8 Bibliography 10 Abstract Lung cancer can be treated through radiation therapy, which utilizes intense energy beams to destroy cancer cells as it will be discussed in the report. Normally, radiation therapy acquires its power from X-rays; however, the power can source from other energy sources such as protons. Through radiation therapy cancer cells are damaged by wiping out the genetic material, which controls how cells divide and grow. Even though both cancerous and healthy cells are damaged through radiation treatment, the objective of medical radiation as discussed in the report is to wipe out as few healthy cells as possible. For that reason, the report seeks to provide a critical analysis of role of medical radiation in lung cancer. Role of Medical Radiation in Lung Cancer Introduction Cancer is currently the leading cause of mortality as well as morbidity globally and it is extremely expensive to treat. It is estimated that one in three people will get cancer sometime in their lifetime and more than 50% will need radiation for their treatment. New treatments discovery has made cancer management to become more complex and challenging, needing input coordination from various health practitioners.1 Lung cancer largely affects aged persons, and it is uncommon in persons aged below 40; however, lung cancer rates increase sharply with age. Even though non-smokers can get lung cancer; smoking contributes to 90 percent of lung cases. Bearing in mind that smoking entails frequent inhaling of various toxic substances. Role of medical radiation in cancer will be discussed in the paper. Lung Cancer Overview There are two main categories of lung cancer: Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) that makes up almost 15percentof all lung cancers. In this regard, SCLC is more destructive as compared to non-small cell lung cancer for the reason that it grows more rapidly and its chances of spreading to other organs are exceedingly high. The other category is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), which makes up 85percent of all lung cancers.22Unlike SCLC, NSCLC normally grows sluggishly and is grouped into different types with regard to the cells accounting for the tumour, which includes poorly differentiated cell carcinoma and squamous, adenocarcinoma, cell carcinoma. The lungs may as well be influenced by cancer spreading from a different part of the body, commonly known as metastatic cancer. Statistics In 2012, there were almost 14.1 million cancer cases across the globe with men accounting 7.4 million cases of these and women making up the remaining 6.7 million cases. Furthermore, these numbers are projected to rise to 24 million by 2035.3As compared to other type of cancers; lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer across the globe making up 13percent of the cancer cases 2012.3 In Australia, Lung cancer comes fifth after prostate, bowel, breast as well as melanoma as the most common diagnosed cancer, making up 8.8% of all new cancer cases.5 There were 10,296 new lung cancer cases in 2010 (60% in men; and 40% in women). In the same year, the risk of getting lung cancer prior to attaining 85 years was 1 in 16.Statistical projection shows that, over 11,500 Australians will be diagnosed with lung cancer by the end of 2014. Lung cancer in 2011 was the leading cause of cancer death accounting for 8,114 deaths, which is more than 18% of all cancer deaths.4 What is more, in 2011; the possibility of dying from lung cancer prior to the age of 85 in Australia was 1 in 21. 2008 projections indicate that the lung cancer age-standardized mortality rate in Australia was exceedingly lower as compared to the rates for Eastern Asia, Northern Europe as well as Northern America. Evidently, rates of survival for lung cancer patients are poor, and lung cancer statistics between 2006 and 2010 in Australia show that survival rate of people with lung cancer is 14.1 per cent. However, the survival rate has increased from a lower 8.7% in the period between1982 and 1987 to 14.1%between 2006 and 2010. Role of Radiation Medical radiation is used to provide high-energy x-rays capable of rapidly destroying dividing cancer cells. Radiation has scores of uses in lung cancer: it is the main treatment, can be used to shrink the tumour before surgery and also to eliminate the remaining cancerous cells after surgery. Furthermore, radiation can be used for treating lung cancer, which has spread to the other body areas such as brain. Aside from attacking the tumour, radiation therapy can assist in relieving a number of the symptoms caused by the tumour like shortness of breath. When utilised as a primary treatment rather than surgery, radiation therapy can be given unaided or together with chemotherapy.5 These days, scores of patients with SCLC and who are not surgery candidates, are given treatment through a radiation treatment method acknowledged as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Lung cancer patients who are unfit for surgery consist of old people, patients with heart diseases, and patients in danger of surgical bleeding. In this case, SBRT treatment involves a large number of focused, small radiation beams, which tracks the tumour in lung with its respiratory movement. SBRT treatment delivers extremely high radiation therapy doses to the patient’s lung cancer where surgery is out of option. SBRT is useful in the setting of early lung cancer stage and for patients with localized disease. Normally, radiation treatment is delivered through the external beam technique, whereby x-rays beam are aimed directly at the tumour. Radiation treatment is provided in a sequence of fractions or sessions, normally more than six to seven weeks for normal treatments, as well as more than one to five treatments for lung cancer patients using SBRT method. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) are somewhat novel methods derived from the tumour3-D image captured through CT scanning. This image serves as the target for a high-dose radiation beam that can change in shape and size to match the tumour.6 3D-CRT technique reduces radiation exposure to the lung tissue, and so reduces the radiation side-effects experienced by patients using SBRT method.6In brachytherapy, radiation treatment is directly delivered to the tumour, which is normally realized either by means of a surgical procedure where subsequent to the primary resection, the tumour radioactive seeds are stitched to the surgical resection edge. Additionally, in the airway obstructive tumour setting, radiation is delivered to obstruction site by means of a plastic tube, which is inserted temporarily into the airway. This can aid in relieving severe lung cancer symptoms but cannot treat the cancer. Process Radiation treatment can be defined as the delivery of photons (high-energy x-rays), atomic particles or gamma rays. The radiation destroys the dividing cancer cells more rapidly as compared to the normal. Majority of cancers, such as lung tumours, are made of rapidly dividing cells as compared to those in normal lung tissue, reducing the expectation that the cancer may be wiped out devoid of damaging the normal tissues surrounding the lungs. Radiation therapy functions by attacking the DNA in tumour cells, making it impracticable for growth and generation of more cancerous cells. In the process, normal body cells get damaged, but they manage to repair themselves as well as work right once more.7 The main plan is to offer daily radiation doses, which are adequately large to destroy lots of the rapidly dividing cancerous cells, whilst simultaneously reducing damage to normal tissue cells that are slowly dividing in the tumour area. Side Effects Lung cancer treatment through radiation can be harmful to the body and bring about obnoxious side effects, like nausea, fatigue, skin changes, as well as other side effects. During radiation treatment, various oncologists will work with the patients to lessen side effects as well as improve their life quality. Radiation therapy of lung cancer can from time to time result in headaches, memory loss, and reduced appetite. Normally, radiation side effects for treating lung cancer are insignificant as compared to those caused by the brain tumour, but still can reduce the patient’s life quality. Conclusion In conclusion, as evidenced in the report, lung cancer occurs when lung cells start to divide rapidly leading to large cancer cells collections commonly known as tumours. Evidently, lung cancer is not just a one disease, but instead it is a collection of numerous diseases attributed by the type of cell affected. Even though non-smokers get lung cancer, statistics indicate that smoking tobacco is the main cause of lung cancer accounting for almost 90 percent of diagnosed cases. Still, the number of diagnosed cases among non-smokers has been rising lately because of other risk factors such as exposure to asbestos, radiation, radon, as well as environmental pollution. Lung cancer can be treated through radiation, which makes use of radioactive substances or x-rays to shrink tumours, destroy cancerous cells, as well as lessen particular cancer-associated symptoms. As evidenced in the report, the role of medical radiation is to destroy cancerous cells, to stop cancer cells growth, to shrink tumour, to stop cancerous cells from rapidly dividing after treatment, and relieve advanced cancer symptoms. Bibliography Cancer Research UK. Types of lung cancer. 5 Sepetember 2014. (accessed 10 December 2014). Cancer Australia. Lung cancer statistics. 7 May 2014. 10 December 2014. (accessed 10 December 2014). Price, Pat, Karol Sikora and Tim Illidge. Treatment of Cancer. 5th edn., New Jersey, CRC Press, 2008, p. 698. Society, American Cancer. Radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. 10 November 2014. 10 December 2014. (accessed 10 December 2014). World Health Organization. Cancer. Novemebr 2014. (accessed 10 December 2014). Read More