LINZ / UPPER AUSTRIA. Although almost every second cancer patient in this country is treated with radiation, little background knowledge is available. This is reported by the Medical Association for Upper Austria, which therefore provides information on the range of treatments, the process and side effects.
After a tumor has been identified, a treatment concept is defined in the so-called multidisciplinary tumor board, which can include one or more forms of therapy. These include above all operations and drug therapy, but also radiation therapy. With the latter, the volume to be irradiated, the daily irradiation dose and the total dose are determined before treatment. This process using computed tomography can take several hours to days. Different plans may be necessary depending on the type of illness. Radiation is usually carried out five times a week, and the number of sessions varies between one and 38, according to the Upper Austrian Medical Association.
An irradiation process only takes a few minutes
A single exposure only takes a few minutes and is painless, as people can neither see nor feel ionizing radiation. Specifically, cancer cells are destroyed with the help of these rays or particle beams. The radiation damages the genetic material of the cells, so that cell division stops and cells perish. This makes tumors smaller or disappear completely. Radiation therapy is used, for example, for brain tumors, breast cancer (= breast cancer, note) and prostate cancer (= prostate cancer, note) as well as rectal cancer. “Radiation therapy plays a central role in the healing of many tumors. It also enables an organ-preserving procedure for many patients. This means that in these cases the organ or tissue in which the tumor has developed does not have to be radically surgically removed, but that parts or the organ as a whole can be preserved, ”says Hans Geinitz, specialist in radiation therapy and radiation oncology as well as specialist group representative for radiation therapy – radiation oncology of the Medical Association for Upper Austria.
Organ preservation in breast cancer
An example of organ preservation is the treatment of breast cancer. In more than 70 percent of affected women, local removal of the tumor is nowadays possible, which avoids a mastectomy. Relapse rates are low if radiotherapy is used after surgery. Many professional groups work in radiation oncology so that the rays hit the genetic material of the tumor cell precisely. These include doctors, nursing staff, medical physicists and radiology technologists. “The technical effort in radiation oncology is also not insignificant. Ultimately, the enormous technical advances in this area enable us to treat our patients a little better every year, ”Geinitz says. Radiation oncology patients belong to all age groups from toddlers to senior citizens. 50 to 60 percent of all cancer patients in Upper Austria are irradiated in the course of their illness. In 50 percent of all permanent healings, radiation therapy is involved or the sole type of treatment.
Behavior and side effects
In the course of treatment, however, side effects can occur, adds the Upper Austrian Medical Association. “The type and severity of the side effects depends on where the radiation is being carried out, which single and total dose is administered and whether a combination with chemotherapy is used. Most patients experience little or no side effects. More severe side effects, especially chronic side effects, are rare, ”explains Geinitz. In individual cases it must then be checked whether the radiation therapy was causally responsible for the symptoms.
A few rules of conduct must be observed during treatment. Activities that represent psychological or excessive physical stress should be avoided. With a few exceptions, quick walks or exercise are recommended during radiation therapy. Pain therapy and nutritional therapy may also be necessary.
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