Radiotherapy

What does radiotherapy do?

The purpose of radiotherapy is to transfer energy to human tissues through radiation. This energy affects the cells. Cancer cells stop growing or die as a result of radiation. However, radiation can also affect the healthy cells in the irradiated area. As a result, the skin may become red and sensitive and other side effects may also occur. Radiation itself is painless.

The area to be irradiated varies from patient to patient. The duration of the radiation treatment, the intensity and the radiation schedule (the number of radiations) may also vary. 

What do we irradiate?

The radiotherapist-oncologist irradiates the tumor itself, or if there has already been surgery, the place where the tumor has been sitting - this is called the "tumor bed. Usually, the radiotherapist-oncologist irradiates with a wide margin. That wide margin often includes lymph nodes that may contain cancer cells. The radiotherapist-oncologist will suggest customized treatment for each individual patient.

Radiation, like surgery, is a local treatment, meaning it only has an effect on the area affected by the radiation. In contrast, other cancer treatments such as hormone therapy or chemotherapy work everywhere in the body. Radiation is also a precise treatment. That is, modern radiation equipment makes it possible to precisely irradiate what one wants to irradiate. In a radiation treatment, the radiation dose into the tumor must be high enough, while the irradiation of the surrounding healthy tissues must be kept as low as possible to protect them to the maximum. That way, the normal or healthy cells are damaged as little as possible and recover easily afterwards, while the malignant cells are destroyed. However, not every patient and every cancer needs to be treated with these state-of-the-art techniques. Your radiotherapist-oncologist will know what is the most appropriate technique for you.

Result

Radiation works slowly. This means that it is difficult or sometimes impossible to measure whether the treatment is successful or not during the radiation series itself. If there are few side effects during radiation, this does not mean that the radiation is not working properly. The result of the treatment is often only evaluated after a few weeks on the basis of, for example, imaging.