Radiotherapy

What is Radiotherapy?

Radiotherapy is a type of treatment used in the treatment of many types of cancer and some diseases. The radiotherapy method, which is used especially in the destruction of cancerous cells, is also used for the growth and development of this disease and to alleviate the unbearable pain associated with the disease.

What is Radiotherapy?

The main purpose of radiotherapy is to destroy cancer cells by damaging them. In these processes, healthy cells can be damaged. However, as a result of this damage, while the healthy cell renews itself, the damaged cancerous cell cannot renew itself and begins to disappear.

Radiotherapy, While it can treat diseases such as prostate and laryngeal cancer on its own, only radiotherapy treatment does not work in the treatment of breast cancer. Along with radiotherapy, chemotherapy treatment is also required.

The main purpose of radiotherapy is to shrink the cancerous cell. The cancerous cell in the body before the operation must be small to a certain extent in order to be operated on. After the reduction of the cancerous cell with radiotherapy is achieved, the patient is ready for surgery. Or, after the cancerous tissue is cleaned after the surgery, it is also performed to reduce the cancerous tissue remaining in small pieces in the area.

As we briefly mentioned above, Radiotherapy, It is the process of treating cancer diseases with ionizing radiation. Radiation Oncology Department in hospitals deals with this issue. The purpose of radiotherapy is to reduce the cancerous cell by intervening with radiation.

These rays damage the cells in the tissue. Damaged healthy and good cells can renew themselves. However, unhealthy and bad cells damaged by these rays cannot renew themselves and perish. It is also used to reduce the cancerous part before the operation or to destroy the cancerous parts remaining after the operation.

While radiotherapy can be used alone in the treatment of cancer diseases, the treatment process can also work with surgical operation and/or chemotherapy support.

Radiotherapy Side Effects

Radiotherapy, also known as radiation therapy among the people, may vary according to the effect of the area where the procedure is applied, the amount of effect and the type of cancer. While these symptoms can be seen within 1-2 weeks following the time of receiving radiotherapy, it may take years for important conditions such as a second recurrence of cancer to manifest itself. In general, the most common radiotherapy side effects can be explained as follows:

• The occurrence of weakness and fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• hair shedding
• skin rashes
• Skin dryness
• itching condition
• Skin peeling
• the state of having diarrhea
• Dryness in the mouth and difficulty in swallowing
• Sores in the mouth
• feeling of dryness in the eyes
• sexual dysfunction
• Difficulty urinating
• Formation of lymphedema
• Secondary cancer formation

How is Radiotherapy Performed?

Radiotherapy, which is used to destroy bad cells in cancerous diseases, is applied in two ways with today’s technology. One of them is applied externally and the other internally.

Externally Applied Radiotherapy

Most patients undergoing cancer treatment receive external radiotherapy treatment. This treatment is generally performed in either treatment centers or polyclinics. In this process, in which radiotherapy devices are used, radiation therapy is applied to the sick tissues.

During this application, the diseased and cancerous target area is selected and the rays are sent directly there. In this way, cancerous cells that receive intense radiation begin to be damaged. They shrink because they cannot renew themselves.

Radiotherapy, also known as radiation therapy, is a type of treatment applied according to the condition of the patient and the cancer. It is applied in sessions. In general, treatment is started on the condition that it is 5 days a week for 1-10 weeks. Sessions are shaped according to the patient in cooperation with the doctor. Radiotherapy may take 10-30 minutes depending on the patient and the disease.

During radiotherapy (radiation therapy), the patient who will receive radiotherapy is placed on a stretcher and the procedures are started. First of all, the areas that will not be treated with radiation are covered with protective layers. Personnel preparing the patient for the procedure must wear protective clothing. After the patient is prepared for the treatment, the staff goes to the sheltered area on the side and follows the patient’s condition from here.

During the procedure, the patient does not feel any pain, and can even contact the personnel performing the procedure if he wishes. The rays target the cancerous tissue and are applied to that area at the determined intensity and for the specified time.

After radiotherapy treatment, the patient and his condition must be followed up by his doctor. Factors such as how beneficial the treatment is and the change in the size of cancerous cells should be monitored with the help of imaging and assays. After radiotherapy, the patient should be examined in detail and possible side effects should be examined and drug therapy should be started if necessary.

Internally Applied Radiotherapy

In this application, a radioactive substance is placed inside the cancerous tumor. This application can also be done by placing it in the body cavity. In the surgery that the person undergoes during the cancer treatment process, when the cancerous tissue is removed, the space that remains in place is also placed.

Radiotherapy Prices in Turkey

Radiotherapy treatment is performed in the best way in Turkey, which has made important technological and scientific leaps in the field of medicine as in many other fields. Especially the fact that the centers or clinics where the treatment is given are equipped with the latest technological devices, the doctors have proven themselves with their caring, smiling faces and expertise in their fields explain why Turkey is so preferred in this field.

Being treated in hospitals with high physical and mental equipment also affects the healing process of the disease. In terms of geographical location, transportation is easily provided from both European and Middle Eastern countries. A very affordable treatment opportunity is also provided in terms of price.

However, the price issue varies according to the hospital and the disease. Conditions such as the stages of cancerous tissue, the amount of radiotherapy to be taken, and some treatment methods that should be added together affect the price more or less. For more detailed information about radiotherapy prices in Turkey, It will be healthier for you to call authorized and knowledgeable centers.

What is Stereotactic Radiosurgery?

Stereotactic Radiosurgery, known as SRS in short, is a radiotherapy method that is given to an area of ​​the head or some parts of the brain with well-defined borders, in high doses and gradually increasing like stereo music.

Although its name includes surgery, it is not a surgical intervention. This method is used to re-treat cancers that have spread to the brain, benign tumors, or areas treated with radiotherapy.

The implementation of this treatment is planned and performed by a large team of radiation therapists, medical physicists and nurses.

Does the tumor shrink with radiotherapy?

The main purpose of radiotherapy is to damage the cancerous area by irradiating it. During this process, both cancerous cells and healthy cells, albeit to a small extent, are damaged. Healthy cells have the ability to renew themselves. But the same is not true for cancerous cells and tumors. These diseased cells, which fail to renew themselves, begin to shrink.

This treatment makes it easier for the cells that are difficult to be operated on, to be smaller and ready for surgery. It is also used to remove tiny diseased cells from the cleaned area after surgery.