Which is easier to tolerate chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Radiation therapy in oncology: consequences and indications

There is probably no worse disease today than cancer. This disease does not look at either age or status. He mercilessly mows down everyone. Modern methods of treating tumors are quite effective if the disease is detected in the early stages. However, cancer treatment also has a downside. For example, radiation therapy, the side effects of which sometimes have high health risks.

Benign and malignant tumors

A tumor is a pathological formation in tissues and organs that grows rapidly, causing mortal harm to organs and tissues. All neoplasms can be conditionally divided into benign and malignant.

The cells of benign tumors are not much different from healthy cells. They grow slowly and do not spread further than their focus. Treating them is much easier and easier. For the body, they are not fatal.

The cells of malignant neoplasms are structurally different from normal healthy cells. Cancer grows rapidly, affecting other organs and tissues (metastasizes).

Benign tumors do not cause much discomfort to the patient. Malignant ones are accompanied by pain and general exhaustion of the body. The patient loses weight, appetite, interest in life.

Cancer develops in stages. The first and second stages have the most favorable prognosis. The third and fourth stages are the germination of the tumor in other organs and tissues, that is, the formation of metastases. Treatment at this stage is aimed at pain relief and prolonging the life of the patient.

No one is immune from a disease like cancer. People at particular risk are:

with a genetic predisposition.

With a weakened immune system.

Leading the wrong way of life.

Working in hazardous working conditions.

Received any mechanical injury.

For prevention purposes, you need to be examined by a therapist once a year and take tests. For those who are at risk, it is advisable to donate blood for tumor markers. This analysis helps to recognize cancer in the early stages.

How is cancer treated?

There are several ways to treat malignant tumors:

Surgery. main method. It is used in cases where oncological formation is still not large enough, and also when there are no metastases (early stages of the disease). Radiation or chemotherapy may be done first.

Radiation therapy of tumors. Irradiation of cancer cells with a special device. This method is used as an independent method, as well as in combination with other methods.

Chemotherapy. Cancer treatment with chemicals. Used in conjunction with radiation therapy or surgery to reduce the size of a lump. It is also used to prevent metastasis.

Hormone therapy. Used to treat ovarian, breast and thyroid cancer.



Surgical treatment of tumors is the most effective today. The operation has the least number of side effects and gives the patient more chances for a healthy life. However, the application of the method is not always possible. In such cases, other methods of treatment are used. The most common of which is radiation therapy. Side effects after it, although they cause a lot of health problems, but the patient's chances of recovery are high.

Radiation therapy

It is also called radiotherapy. The method is based on the use of ionizing radiation, which absorbs the tumor and self-destructs. Unfortunately, not all cancers are sensitive to radiation. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a method of therapy after a thorough examination and assessment of all risks for the patient.

Radiation therapy, although effective, has a number of side effects. The main one is the destruction of healthy tissues and cells. Radiation affects not only the tumor, but also neighboring organs. The method of radiation therapy is prescribed in cases where the benefit to the patient is high.



For radiation, radium, cobalt, iridium, cesium are used. are compiled individually and depend on the characteristics of the tumor.

How is radiation therapy performed?

Radiotherapy can be done in several ways:

1. Exposure at a distance.

   contact irradiation.

   Intracavitary irradiation (a radioactive source is injected into an organ with a neoplasm).

   Interstitial irradiation (a radioactive source is injected into the tumor itself).

Radiation therapy is used:

after surgery (to remove the remnants of cancer formation);

before surgery (to reduce the tumor in size);

during the development of metastases;

with relapses of the disease.

Thus, the method has three purposes:

Radical - complete removal of the tumor.

Palliative - reduction of neoplasm in size.

Symptomatic - elimination of pain symptoms.



Radiation therapy helps to cure many malignant tumors. It can help alleviate the suffering of the patient. And also to prolong his life when healing is impossible. For example, radiation therapy of the brain provides the patient with legal capacity, relieves pain and other unpleasant symptoms.

To whom is radiation contraindicated?

As a method of fighting cancer, radiation therapy is not suitable for everyone. It is prescribed only in cases where the benefit to the patient is higher than the risk of complications. For a separate group of people, radiotherapy is generally contraindicated. These include patients who:

Severe anemia, cachexia (a sharp decline in strength and exhaustion).

There are diseases of the heart, blood vessels.

Radiation therapy of the lungs is contraindicated in cancerous pleurisy.

There is renal failure, diabetes mellitus.

There are bleeding associated with the tumor.

There are multiple metastases with deep germination in organs and tissues.

The blood contains a low number of leukocytes and platelets.

Radiation intolerance (radiation sickness).

For such patients, the course of radiation therapy is replaced by other methods - chemotherapy, surgery (if possible).



It should be noted that those who are indicated for radiation may later suffer from its side effects. Since ionizing rays damage not only the structure but also healthy cells.

Side effects of radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is the strongest irradiation of the body with radioactive substances. Besides the fact that this method is very effective in fighting cancer, it has a whole bunch of side effects.

Radiation therapy patient reviews are very different. Some side effects appear after several procedures, while others have almost none. One way or another, any unpleasant phenomena will disappear after the end of the course of radiotherapy.

The most common consequences of the method:

Weakness, headache, dizziness, chills, fever.

Disturbed work of the digestive system - nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting.

Changes in the composition of the blood, a decrease in platelets and leukocytes.

Increased number of heartbeats.

Edema, dry skin, rashes at the sites of radiation application.

Hair loss, hearing loss, vision loss.

Small blood loss, provoked by the fragility of blood vessels.

This is what concerns the main negative points. After radiation therapy (full completion of the course), the work of all organs and systems is restored.

Nutrition and renewal of the body after irradiation

During the treatment of tumors, no matter how, it is necessary to eat properly and balanced. In this way, many unpleasant symptoms of the disease (nausea and vomiting) can be avoided, especially if a course of radiation therapy or chemotherapy is prescribed.

Food should be taken often and in small portions.

Food should be varied, rich and fortified.

For a while, you should give up food that contains preservatives, as well as pickles, smoked and fatty foods.

It is necessary to limit the use of dairy products due to the possible lactose intolerance.

Carbonated and alcoholic drinks are prohibited.

Preference should be given to fresh vegetables and fruits.

In addition to proper nutrition, the patient should adhere to the following rules:

Get more rest, especially after the radiation procedures themselves.

Do not take a hot bath, do not use hard sponges, toothbrushes, decorative cosmetics.

Spend more time outdoors.

Lead a healthy lifestyle.



Radiation therapy patient reviews are very different. However, without it, successful cancer treatment is impossible. By adhering to simple rules, many unpleasant consequences can be avoided.

What diseases are treated with LT?

Radiotherapy is widely used in medicine for the treatment of cancer and some other diseases. The dose of radiation depends on the severity of the disease and can be divided into a week or more. One session lasts from 1 to 5 minutes. Radiation exposure is used to treat tumors that do not contain fluid or cysts (skin cancer, cervical cancer, prostate and breast cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, as well as leukemia and lymphomas).

Most often, radiation therapy is prescribed after surgery or before it in order to reduce the size of the tumor, as well as kill the remnants of cancer cells. In addition to malignant tumors, diseases of the nervous system, bones, and some others are also treated with radio emission. Radiation doses in such cases differ from oncological doses.

Repeat radiotherapy

Irradiation of cancer cells is accompanied by simultaneous irradiation of healthy cells. Side effects after RT are not pleasant phenomena. Of course, after the course is canceled, the body recovers after a while. However, having received a single dose of radiation, healthy tissues are not able to endure repeated exposure. In the case of using radiotherapy a second time, it is possible in emergency cases and at lower doses. The procedure is prescribed when the benefit to the patient outweighs the risks and complications to his health.



If re-irradiation is contraindicated, the oncologist may prescribe hormone therapy or chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy in the last stages of cancer

Radiotherapy is used not only to treat cancer, but also to prolong the life of the patient in the last stages of cancer, as well as to alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

When the tumor spreads to other tissues and organs (metastasizes), there is no chance of recovery. The only thing left is to reconcile and wait for that “judgment day”. In this case, radiotherapy:

Reduces, and sometimes completely removes pain attacks.

Reduces pressure on the nervous system, on the bones, maintains capacity.

Reduces blood loss, if any.

Irradiation for metastases is assigned only to the places of their distribution. It should be remembered that radiation therapy has a variety of side effects. Therefore, if the patient has a sharp depletion of the body and he cannot withstand the dose of radiation, this method is not practiced.

Conclusion

The worst of all diseases is cancer. The whole insidiousness of the disease is that it can not manifest itself in any way for many years and in just a couple of months bring a person to death. Therefore, for the purpose of prevention, it is important to periodically be examined by a specialist. Detection of an ailment in the early stages always ends in complete healing. One of the effective methods of fighting cancer is radiation therapy. Side effects, although unpleasant, however, completely disappear after the cancellation of the course.

For many decades now chemotherapy and radiation do not give up their positions in the treatment of cancer, and the use of radiotherapy has already "celebrated" its 100th anniversary.

Modern chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Also successfully used new selective radiotherapy method (SIRT), and radioembolization- introduction directly to the tumor through a vascular catheter of radioisotopes and microspheres, by analogy with chemoembolization. The method is successfully combined with - radioimmunotherapy, when they are fixed to isotopes, capable of searching for cancer cells and delivering a radiation source to them.

In a word, the choice of methods of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy is very large, and it ensures the selection and implementation of the most effective treatment program, which means that it gives every patient a great chance for recovery and life extension.

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What is the difference between chemotherapy and radiotherapy?

The purpose of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is to disrupt the DNA of cancer cells, which leads to the cessation of their reproduction and the destruction of the cancerous tumor. Although the essence of these methods is the same, they are used in different situations.

• Chemotherapy used when the tumor is spread throughout the body. It is injected either directly into the blood or taken as a tablet.
• Radiotherapy used for more local treatment of the tumor.

For example, for treatment at an early stage, it may be sufficient to use only radiotherapy. Treatment often involves chemotherapy alone.

However, there are situations where these two methods are used together, and immunotherapy and surgery and other cancer treatments can also be connected to them.

Side effects of chemotherapy

Chemotherapy aims to stop cancer cells from dividing, but there has not yet been a chemotherapy that would act only on cancer cells. To minimize the side effects of chemotherapy and so that healthy cells can recover, chemotherapy is given in courses.

All side effects of chemotherapy are associated with its main action - stopping cell division. There are cells in the human body that divide the fastest:

Stopping division or slowing down the division of these cells causes:

• weakening of the immune system
• anemia,
• nausea and vomiting,
• complete or partial hair loss.

Side effects of radiotherapy

In radiotherapy, devices are used that work on the basis of the use of x-rays, gamma rays and radioactive particles to affect the tumor. The technology of introducing radioactive particles into the tumor tissue is also used. When radiation enters a cell, it damages its DNA. Tumor cells stop dividing.

Just as in the case of chemotherapy, radiotherapy has a number of side effects that are directly related to the method of exposure. Thus, the use of radiotherapy leads to damage to healthy cells that are close to the tumor, especially those cells that divide rapidly. Main side effects:

• irritation at the site of therapy,
• scarring,
• urinary problems,
• stomach problems,
• fibrosis,
• reproductive problems.

Cost of chemotherapy and radiotherapy

It is well known that cancer chemotherapy is a rather expensive method, due to the high price of the drugs themselves, which, moreover, are not always available in domestic hospitals. Patients, as a rule, “get” the recommended chemotherapy drug on their own, overpaying for an already rather high price. And these drugs, as a rule, are foreign, which not every cancer hospital can afford to purchase.

The situation is different abroad, where these drugs are not only always in stock, but they are still in a large selection, and this choice is always individual and optimal for each patient. Radiotherapy is a less expensive method of treatment, and there are also various technologies abroad, the selection of which is also individual.

They occupy an intermediate position, that is, they are higher than and lower than in the United States.

Prices for treatment in Russia and Belarus are much lower than in Israel.

Find out how much a course of treatment will cost in your case by filling out the form on the website or by contacting us by phone.

People suffering from oncological diseases are well aware of the concepts of what chemotherapy and radiation are, which are modern methods of treating cancerous tumors.

The tactics of treatment for each patient is chosen by the oncologist on an individual basis. The main advantages and disadvantages of chemotherapy and should be considered in more detail.

Features of chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a holistic effect on the patient's cancer cells through the use of special drugs.

The specified tactics of oncology treatment pursues the following main goals:

• complete destruction of malignant neoplasms;
• creation of necessary conditions for carrying out planned surgical intervention;
• postoperative destruction of the remaining tumor cells.

The mechanism of action of special drugs on the body of a cancer patient is simple. The drugs act on malignant tumors at the cellular level: they destroy their internal structure, inhibit growth and division. Almost always, for greater effectiveness, the use of several anticancer drugs at once is prescribed. Additionally, drugs that increase immunity can be used.

Only an experienced oncologist, depending on many factors, should determine the duration of chemotherapy exposure, select the types of drugs, choose the method of drug administration, etc. Chemotherapy is most often prescribed in courses, with obligatory periods for recovery of the body. There are various ways to administer drugs:

• using tablets, capsules;
• use of ointments or solutions;
• injections into the muscles, into the tumor;
• through a catheter into a peripheral or central vein;
• into an artery
• into the abdominal cavity;
• into the spinal fluid.

Despite the high chances of curing an oncological disease with the help of chemotherapy, it is necessary to take into account a number of negative consequences arising from its use. The negative consequences of chemotherapy are due to the fact that during its implementation, healthy fast-growing cells of the patient are also damaged. With proper treatment, most of them are subsequently restored. The most common side effects of chemotherapy include:

• anemia
• blood clotting disorder;
• nausea and vomiting;
• hair loss;
• skin and nail problems;
• various infectious complications.

Before prescribing such treatment, the oncologist conducts a complete examination of the patient's body and tries to prevent its most harmful consequences.

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Features of radiotherapy

Radiation therapy is the effect on the tumor cells of the patient with the help of ionizing radiation. Strong irradiation, precisely aimed at the site of tumor localization, leads to mutation and death of cancer cells.

The patient is carefully prepared before the procedure, the location and size of the malignant tumor are accurately determined. Treatment is carried out using special devices with radiation sources. In order to avoid severe effects from the procedure, it is important to minimize the risk of this effect on healthy cells. The usual course of exposure is 3-4 sessions, over a certain period of time. It should be noted that irradiation in high doses is life-threatening, so the treatment regimen should be drawn up by an experienced oncologist, taking into account an individual approach to each patient.

Radiation therapy can have the following main side effects:

• nausea and vomiting;
• loss of appetite;
• weight loss;
• soreness;
• hearing impairment;
• skin burns;
• damage to internal organs and tissues.

The effectiveness of the treatment of oncological patients is significantly increased when chemotherapy is combined with radiation exposure to a malignant tumor. This treatment is called combined radiation chemotherapy. The serious consequences of chemotherapy and radiation treatment of affected tissues do not allow the use of these methods of treatment for all cancer patients.

Thus, chemotherapy and radiation exposure, despite numerous side effects, are considered one of the most effective methods of treating cancer patients.

Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy are two cancer treatments that destroy cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Although both chemotherapy and radiation therapy are effective treatments for cancer, they are used in different situations and have different side effects. Chemotherapy is used to treat cancer that has spread throughout the body and is done with drugs injected into the bloodstream, while radiation therapy targets tumors in specific areas of the body. Both methods or only one of them can be used to treat the same cases of cancer, depending on the type of cancer and the degree of its development.

For example, treatment of a localized tumor in prostate cancer may require radiation therapy alone, while chemotherapy alone may be sufficient for the treatment of leukemia. However, to destroy a tumor that has metastasized, it may be necessary to use both chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs that act on cells when their DNA is replicating.

Cancer cells replicate faster than healthy cells, so destroying cells that are in the process of replication is one way to kill cancer cells while damaging as few healthy cells as possible. Chemotherapy is often given in cycles, with different drugs, as this allows the maximum number of cancer cells to be destroyed while giving healthy tissues a chance to recover from the effects of the drugs. Chemotherapy side effects are the result of the drugs used inadvertently destroying healthy cells, particularly bone marrow cells that produce white and red blood cells; cells in the stomach and intestines; and hair follicles. Damage to these cells can lead to a weakened immune system, anemia, nausea, vomiting, and hair loss.

Radiation therapy is a therapy that uses x-rays, gamma rays, and radioactive particles to treat localized tumors.

This therapy often uses machines that direct high-frequency radioactive waves at tumors, or involves the use of small amounts of radioactive substances injected near the cancer cells. Once the radiation is inside these cells, it forms free radicals that damage or directly change the DNA structure of the cells; anyway, if the DNA is damaged enough, the replication process is disrupted and the cells die. The use of radiation therapy leads to damage to healthy cells near the tumors, especially those that are rapidly dividing. Side effects from radiation therapy usually include skin irritation and scarring. There may also be hair loss, and problems with the urinary system or stomach, depending on the site of treatment. Long-term side effects may include fibrosis, amnesia, and fertility problems.

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For cancerous tumors in the human body, a drug treatment approach is used. This approach is called chemotherapy, as the tumor is treated with chemicals.

Oncologists use numerous drugs to treat cancer, all of which are called chemotherapy.

A striking example of this is the conduct of immune or hormonal therapy. The thing is that when using these methods in the treatment, special cytotoxic drugs are used.

A feature of chemotherapy is that these drugs selectively act on the human body, and their properties are aimed at suppressing the primary and secondary foci of the spread of the disease.

Information to know about chemotherapy:

• A feature of chemotherapy is that it helps to suppress the development of mutated cells and tumors in general. In the treatment of cancerous tumors, chemotherapy is widely used in modern medicine, these procedures quantitatively reduce cancer cells and prevent tumor growth.
• In addition to the therapeutic effect, the impact of chemotherapy is aimed at obtaining information for the creation of new drugs in the fight against cancer. Ongoing research is helping physicians discover mechanisms that are effective in shrinking tumors and reducing the number of cancer cells.

Types of chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, which affects cancerous tumors and cells;

Chemotherapy to cure infectious diseases.

It will be very difficult to answer the question: “Which of the methods of therapy is more effective?”, since their characteristics are radically different in the process of influencing the patient's body.

In the field of oncology, doctors refer to chemotherapy as a separate method of treating cancerous tumors. Because of this, experts believe that such drugs should be classified as a separate group of drugs that fight tumors.

How is chemotherapy different from radiation therapy?

Doctors use several therapies to fight cancer.

These include:

• surgical intervention;
• chemotherapy;
• radiation therapy;

At different stages, the doctor may prescribe any of the methods of treatment or their combination.

When using the method of chemotherapy treatment, the patient is prescribed the use of special chemotherapy drugs.

It is prescribed to reduce the number of cancer cells after surgical removal of the tumor or radiation therapy. This method of treatment does not exclude the harmful effects on healthy tissues and human cells.

The essence of radiation therapy is that a malignant tumor is treated with ionizing radiation. For this, special flows of protons, electrons and neutrons are used.

In the treatment by the method of chemotherapeutic influence, hormonal drugs and antitumor drugs are distinguished. Their difference is quite obvious. Hormonal drugs less weakly act on the tumor itself.

Hormonal chemotherapy drugs are used for malignant breast cancer, and in other cases it is customary to use antitumor chemicals. Conducting chemotherapy has a strong effect of application in the early stages of tumor development.

This does not mean that it makes no sense to use this method of treatment for stage 3 or 4 cancer, just that chemotherapy drugs will not have such a strong effect. For some types of cancer in the later stages of tumor development, chemotherapy is used as a way to alleviate the patient's condition or reduce his pain symptoms.

Treatment with radiation therapy

In the treatment of a cancerous tumor by the method of radiation therapy, the patient in the body undergoes a process of destruction and complete death of the affected cancer cells. This process accompanies the proliferation of connective tissue. Therefore, in the place where the tumor was, a noticeable scar appears.

Depending on the individual and the stage of the tumor, doctors may prescribe radiation therapy as the only treatment or combine it with chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy is often given before surgery to remove the cancer. When the process of active metastasis has begun in the human body, radiation therapy is a mandatory procedure.

Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells and prevents them from reappearing.

The appointment of this procedure in the postoperative period is prophylactic, because. after removal of the tumor, small foci of cancer remain, which can contribute to the development of the disease, and radiation will get rid of this.

The effectiveness of chemotherapy

Oncological diseases are common throughout the world. How many organs in the human body, so many types of cancer.

Therefore, it is not always possible to use surgery and the only way to treat a tumor is chemotherapy.

The problem is that it is not always enough to conduct only one chemotherapy for a complete cure for cancer.

An effective fight against cancer lies in a combination of treatments. For this, various procedures are suitable, ranging from chemotherapy to the use of alternative methods of treatment.

To get rid of hard-to-reach tumors, different types of chemotherapy are used: red chemotherapy (it is the most toxic); yellow chemotherapy (less toxic than the previous one); blue and white chemotherapy.

With an increase in the dose of ongoing chemotherapy, significant progress is possible in the treatment of a malignant tumor and the destruction of cancer cells.

There is a high risk of harmful effects on healthy cells and on the human body, respectively.

It is important to understand that the doctor may prescribe an increase in the dose of chemotherapy drugs only if the tumor is of impressive size and its operation is impossible.

The doctor takes a big risk by prescribing an increase in the dose. However, in complex cases, this is indispensable. The tumor will grow, and cancer cells will multiply and spread throughout the body, affecting other organs of the human body and creating new foci of disease.

Now it is impossible to say which method is effective in the treatment of cancerous tumors. Oncologists prescribe procedures based on the individual characteristics of the person and the course of the disease as a whole.

In some cases, the use of the surgical method is simply impossible, and in this situation, everything possible must be done to save human life. Combining treatments is the right way to cure cancer.