The Role of Medical Radiations in Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer - Essay Example

The Role of Medical Radiations in Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer Name University Course Date The Role of Medical Radiations in Analysis and Cure of Cancer Pancreatic tumor is considered to be among the most common causes of deaths in the world. Pancreatic cancer has limited treatment options because of the many complications that involve the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The paper below looks at the role played by medical radiotherapy pancreatic tumor treatment. The pancreatic tumor is considered to be a deadly type of cancer because the tumors cover large areas of the body of the victim and hence they are not viable for resection[Céc11]. Radiotherapy can be administered alone in the process of diagnosis or treating cancer or it can be applied with a combination of systematic treatments at different stages of the pancreatic cancer treatment plan and strategy. The use of neo adjuvant chemo radiotherapy may be used as a borderline resectable disease thus ensuring the possibility of resection, thus ensuring survival chances. Advanced pancreatic cancer has only two options for treatment; chemo radiotherapy and chemotherapy[Céc11]. In the treatment of the pancreatic tumor, the toxicity of the radiotherapy can be decreased hence meaning that its progress can be controlled. In this report, the author aims at presenting three significant types of medical radiations as they analyze their applications within each stream whether as a diagnostic tool or therapeutic methods for treatment of pancreatic cancer (Hoskin & Coyle, 2005). The method of radiation therapy requires the use of energy radiation that is of high intensity in order to damage cancer cells DNA and hence hinder their ability to grow, divide and multiply in the body of the victim[Bri10]. In most cases, radiotherapy is done by using machines that are known as accelerators or through radioactive sources that are located inside the body of the patient, maybe permanently or on a temporary basis. Patients with advanced that cannot be cured or treated can be helped by radiotherapy by reducing their pain and suffering[Pet06]. During the process of treatment of cancer through radiotherapy, preparation is mainly focused on targeting the radiation dose to make sure that it does have many side effects or go on to damage normal cells that are living around the infected cells. Doctors use imaging tests to determine how cancer has spread as well as determining the exact shape of the pancreatic tumor as well as its location as well (Hoskin & Goh, 2010). Figure 2: Showing different radiation techniques used for the detection of pancreatic cancer (AboutCancer.com, 2014) Medical imaging Medical imaging is a technique used mostly in cancer diagnosis and treatment and it involves creating graphic representations of the interior of a victim's body for clinical analysis purposes and medical intervention purposes. The process of medical imaging is used in cancer diagnosis purposes and includes many different types. The different types of imaging that can be used in cancer diagnosis include fluoroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, and radiography and computed tomography among others[Ste13]. Medical imaging uses a type of imaging called transmission imaging whereby a source of energy is located on the outside body of the victim and transmits information to a detector that is located on the opposite side and takes the image as it passes through the body of the victim (Hoskin P. , 2006). Figure 2: Medical imaging This kind of imaging is also recognized as radiography and the quantity of radioactivity communicated is on the lower side hence the contact of radioactive materials baring miniature risk to the cancer patient[Ste13]. Throughout this procedure of medical imaging, the ray of rays are shaped by the producer and conveyed through the body that wants to be skimmed. The physical engrosses the rays in varied thickness liable on the arrangement of the physical[Gia05]. Other emissions that pass-through and they are noted down by the flick. Fluoroscopy is an additional procedure of imaging that is usually used for real time nursing of a process (such as, the analysis of an embolism, for example). The procedure includes the nursing of the passaging of a dissimilarity go-between through the body[Ame12]. Just like in radiography, the beam of rays is passed through the object that needs to be scanned but instead of being enumerated on the film, the image is displayed on a fluorescent screen. This is achieved via the digitization of the image on a flat panel. In addition to fluoroscopy and radiography, other more advanced imaging techniques are also available[Ame12]. These include CT and MRI scans that can provide digital images of different internal organs and tissues in the human body[Oli14]. They provide far more detailed images than other traditional imaging techniques, and it presents images depending on attenuation of tissues of the bones being scanned. Case in point, where the attenuation is high the bone appears white, but where there is air, the images appear black[Ame12]. Figure 3: A large mass on the pancreas (AboutCancer.com, 2014) Figure 4: small tumor on the pancreas (HPB London, 2011) The detection of cancer can be a difficult one. Hence the process needs the use of the best topes of materials and procedure. For the pancreatic tumor to be diagnosed and treated effectively, the detection of cancer needs to be early enough[MaH08]. Imaging is techniques used to produce pictures of the body so that doctors can be able to know the extent of the tumor and the location of the affected area. Imaging is not only used for detection of cancer, it is also used for diagnosis, and determining the stage that cancer has reached so far[Mar13]. Circumstances when radiation might be used Radiation therapy is applicable when treating some exocrine pancreatic cancers which are the most prevalent kind of pancreatic cancer. First, radiation can be used after a person undergoes surgery to remove cancerous cells. The purpose in this process is to slower the chance of pancreatic cancer coming back[Pet05]. Radiation at this stage is performed in combination with chemotherapy hence the overall process is called chemo radiotherapy. Radiation is also used for borderline resectable tumors that can be found in the pancreases[Pet10]. The purpose is to make the tumor shrink and make it easier for doctors to get rid of it. For people whose cancer cannot be removed surgically, radiation therapy is normally used since the cancer is in an advanced stage hence, cannot be cured[Sha15]. Radiation therapy is also said to be used to help victims of cancer who are very weak to a position where they cannot undergo surgery[Eug14]. The working of the medical radiation method works through using radioactive materials to destroy the cancerous cells before they can reproduce. The body is able to naturally get rid of the cells after the process of radiotherapy is completed[Pet06]. The cancer cells are affected by damaging their DNA through radiation so that the cancerous cells cannot grow or divide in the body of the victim. For pancreatic cancer victims, they can be treated with a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy methods before the surgery is performed. The combined treatment enables a person to undergo less processes during the treatment as compared to if the radiotherapy process was used alone[Kla11]. Types of medical radiation therapies as used in diagnosis and treatment of cancer External-beam radiation therapy This is the most prevalent type of radiation treatment. Radiologists use a machine that is located outside the body of the cancer patient and is able to access large areas of the body if it is needed to do so[Kla11]. Linear accelerator is the machine that is used to create the radiation beam used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The shape and size of the beam is concentrated and adjusted by a computer with specialized software specified for that type of work. This type of radiotherapy is only concerned with removing the cancerous cells while avoiding touching the healthy cells around that area[Kla11]. External-beam radiation therapy is divided into three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, proton beam therapy and stereotactic radiation therapy[Pet06]. Internal radiation therapy This is the second type of radiation therapy and is also known as brachytherapy. This process involves the radiologist putting a radioactive material on the cancer itself or on a material that surrounds the area where the cancer is[Eug14]. The placement of the radioactive material may be a temporary or permanent depending on how the cancer has spread in the body of the victim[Oli14]. The radioactive materials are inserted into the body of the victim inform of grain like implants which eat the cancerous part while releasing radioactive materials. In most cases, the patient is advised at the hospital so that doctors can be able to monitor their progress[Pet10]. Side effects of the medical radiation process Radiotherapy side effects occur because the process of treating pancreatic cancer through radiation requires high number of doses hence the radiation can also damage other healthy cells accidently hence leading to side effects[Mar13]. The side effects include; skin problems, feelings of fatigue, head and neck, stomach and abdomen, pelvis and stomach side effects. Most of the side effects are as a result of excess radioactive materials if they are not handled with care hence when a patient is having a serious issue with cancer, they need to stay at the hospital to give the doctors humble time to treat them (Hoskin & Coyle, 2005). References Céc11: , (Cécile Proust-Lima, 2011), Bri10: , (Carr, 2010), Pet06: , (Hoskin P. , 2006), Ste13: , (Stephen J. Freedland, 2013 ), Gia05: , (Delaini, 2005), Ame12: , (Sibtain, Morgan, & MacDougall, 2012 ), Oli14: , (Olivier L. Chinot, 2014), MaH08: , (Hayat, 2008), Mar13: , (Nolden, 2013), Pet05: , (Hoskin & Coyle, Radiotherapy in practice : brachytherapy, 2005), Pet10: , (Hoskin & Goh, Radiotherapy in practice : imaging, 2010), Sha15: , (Rajaram, 2015), Eug14: , (Kwon, 2014), Kla11: , (Klaus Maier-Hauff, 2011), Read More