Conventional Radiation Therapy
The number of neoplastic formations that require External Beam Rdiation Therapy (EBRT) is high and often integrated with surgery and chemotherapy.
Radiation Therapy is a multidisciplinary field and requires expertises in: - Radiation physics - Radiation Oncology - Clinical Oncology - Radiobiology - Radiation Pathology - Diagnostic Radiology - General medicine
The number of neoplastic formations eligible for an exclusive radiationj therapy treatment is high. Other conditions may benefit from an integrated approach of chemotherapy and surgery. A specific medical field is concerned with the study of acute reactions and tardive alterations of the surrounding healthy tissue and deals with differential diagnosis and differential therapy. The classes of tumors are highly differentiated, making clinical decisions extremely complicated and require an integrated approach of specialists. All radiations used during the treatment, (X-rays, electrons, protons,neutrons), whether of electromagnetic or corpuscular origin, kill neoplastic cells in the area of treatment. When the radiation dose is high, the tissues surrounding the tumor and even the entire body may suffer from the same biological damage intended to be restricted only to the tumor area. The application of radiation therapy can be either: External: (external beam radiation therapy, transcutaneous treatment) this type of treatment consists in the irradiation of the area of interest directly from the outside, using a linear accelerator as the source of radiation (electrons or photons). Brachytherapy: (from the greek brachýs, short, internal radiation therapy or contact radiotherapy). This type of treatment consists in a contact mode application of radiations to the therapeutic target. The overall effect of radiations on tissues depends on the dose of radiation and method of application (fractionation). The balance between these variables determines the radiosensibility of tumors and of surrounding healthy tissues. The radiation dose can be fractionated in five sessions per week of various total treatment duration. The patient is irradiated in a separate and protected area of the medical facility, usually a vault.