Leukemia Treatment with Radiation Therapy (Radiotherapy) | Side Effects

Radiation therapy is also know as Radiotherapy. Radiation therapy is a treatment for cancer including leukemia which uses beams of radiation to kill cancerous cells. In this treatment, high energy beams of radiation are focused on cancer tissues. These radiations can penetrate deeper into the targeted tissues to kill or stop cancer cells from multiplying. The stoppage is done by damaging the genetic material of these cells.
Radiation therapy is a treatment option for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes. Radiation therapy is also used in Total body irradiation (TBI). Total body irradiation is used to treat the severe cases of Leukemia. After TBI bone marrow may be transplanted.

Goal of Radiation therapy (Radiotherapy)

Basic goal of Radiation therapy are,

To cure a disease like leukemia cancer.
To destroy abnormal tissues.
To control the disease symptoms, mainly to get relief from pain.
To shrink the tumor before the surgery so that it can be removed easily.
Radiation therapy is also used after surgery to destroy remaining tumors.

Types of Radiation therapy (Radiotherapy)

Mainly, there are three types of Radiation therapy,

Radical Radiation therapy
Prophylactic Radiation therapy
Palliative Radiation therapy

Radical Radiation therapy

This therapy is used to get rid of all types of cancerous cells. Treatment is applied with low level of dosage usually five days a week, for five weeks.

Prophylactic Radiation therapy

This therapy is applied on the surgically operated organs to protect the re-development of cancer and to minimize the spread of cancer cells to other parts of body. The dose is given for five days a week, usually for many weeks.

Palliative Radiation therapy

This treatment is given when the disease reaches a stage where apparently it is not possible to cure it. It is usually given to control further growth of cancer tissues. It is given in single dose over a very short time period.

Method of Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy can be applied in following ways,

External Radiation therapy (Radiotherapy)

In this method, radiation comes from a machine which is outside of the body. It is the most common method. In this technique, machine emits high energy X-rays which are then applied on affected areas. Equipment of this Radiation therapy is advanced, specialized and large in size.

Planning of Treatment Course

This treatment is planned by radiographers. It is based on three factors,

Type of cancer (type of leukemia).
Size of cancer.
Location of cancer.

The total dose of radiation which is required to treat the cancer is carefully calculated and divided into fractions.

Fraction

To minimize the side effects of total dose of radiation, the treatment is further divided into smaller dosage called fraction.
The patient is treated on all possible days in every week. Treatment finishes after the patient has received entries dosage.

Aims of Treatment Session

Focus the radiation on the correct side of the cancer cells.
Normal tissues should be carefully avoided from radiations to minimize the side effects.

CT scan technology is used to protect normal tissue. With the help of latest advancement in CT scan, exact location of tumor can be calculated and therapy is applied on right angels with high precision.

Procedure of Treatment

Before first session, the therapist carefully determines the exact direction and position of affected areas, patient lays on a special table and then radiations emit from machine. To ensure that during each treatment beams of radiation is focused on the same point the specialist may use permanent ink or permanent tattoo to make a spot on skin or some technique may also be used. After settlement, therapist goes out in a separate room to protect himself from the repeated exposure of radiation. The therapist observes the entire situation via TV monitor or through window where patient still be able to talk to them.
Each treatment session lasts for few minutes.

Internal Radiation therapy (Radiotherapy)

In this therapy, radiation comes from liquids which are inside the body like blood. Liquid can contain radioactive substance. This substance is absorbed into the blood stream and taken up by both normal and abnormal cells then radioactive substance pin points the cancerous cells and destroys them. They have little side effect on normal tissues in the body but this effect is temporary, sometimes it may become permanent.

Radio Immunotherapy

In this technique radiolabeled antibodies are used to deliver dose of radiation at correct position of cancer.Antibodies are highly specific protein which is developed by body immune system in response to the presence of antigen. Some tumor cells contain specific antigens that cause the body to start the production of tumor-specific antibodies. These types of antibodies can be prepared in a large quantity in the laboratory known as radio labeling. When anti-bodies developed using radio labeling are injected into the body, the antibodies actively find out the cancer cells which are then destroyed by the cell-killing action of radiation.

Role of Drugs in Radiation therapy

Two types of drugs are used in Radiation therapy,
Radiosensitizer: Used to kill cancerous cells.
Radioprotector: Used to protect normal cells

Good things about Radiation therapy

Rays do not hurt, even patient don’t feel the radiation penetrating in the body.
Rays are not hot.

Side effects of Radiation therapy (Radiotherapy)

After starting treatment of external therapy, the area of skin from which the beams of radiation passes, becomes red, sore, itchy, and scary that may turn into painful wounds. Skin usually recovers its original look and feel in 2-4 weeks after the treatment finishes. Sometimes spots on skin become permanent and the affected part of skin become darker than the surrounding normal skin.
Loss of hair.
Cerebral oedema, which affects the neurological conditions causing restlessness, headache, hypertension, nausea, low rate of heart pulse and decrease in respiration.
Change in taste sensing ability.
Sore throat.
May cause diarrhea and vomiting
May cause sterility in men and women.
May lead to tiredness, bruising and bleeding.

September 14, 2011 路 admin 路 One Comment
Posted in: Leukemia Treatment