Cancer has become increasingly common phenomenon these days, with advent of better diagnostics, awareness and changes in environment. The cause of cancer is multifactorial and varies from various types of cancer, for eg. smoking is associated with at least ten types of cancer the strongest and clear cut associaton being for lung cancer. Similarly, HPV virus is associated in cervical and oral cancers. The new era is herald by rapid advancements in technology and understanding of the tumor biology with devlopment of more targeted therapies.
Targeting cancer in the field of radiotherapy has also become more advanced with the advent of Cyberknife, Helical Tomotherapy, IGRT, IMRT, Rapid arc etc. Radiotherapy has emerged as the main and primary treatment for various cancers and is involved in multimodal treatment of almost all types of cancer as adjuvant or palliative therapy. This has gone through many phases since 1895 with radium, cobalt etc. Now days Radiation is essentially a harmless process which utilizes science and produces X rays just like diagnostic X rays and CT scans but being of higher intensities i.e. Megavoltage beams. These can be regulated and turned on and off just as we turn our lights on and off, these can be controlled and radiation work has minimum hazard both to the patient, radiation worker and society. There is nothing harmful and worrisome about this scientific process and nothing to be afraid of, these are focussed and controlled by laws of physics which we well understand.
This has to be well understood by the cancer patient and his wellwishers, family and they should not let other peoples past negative, fictious,exagerrated experiences get in their way to receive this modern treatment and get freedom from cancer. This knowledge of its safety is utmost important, just as surgery does not happen without a scar similarly radiation also has manageable side effects in the hands of experienced radiotherapist. There are constant advances coming in this field and techniques such as IMRT and IGRT have become quiet commonly used.
Well, they all use radiation but in more effective manner by also preventing the essentially normal tissues from getting radiation and delivers radiation in a more targeted fashion.
This site aims at putting emphasis on the efficacy of this targeted treatment to target cancer and help patients in dire need.