| Patient
Information And Frequently asked questions |
||
1.
|
How does radiation therapy
work? | |
| Cancer cells grow and divide more rapidly than many of the normal cells around them. High doses of radiation can kill cells or | ||
| keep them from growing and dividing, and it has proven to be particularly effective in killing cancer cells and shrinking tumors. | ||
2. |
Why would I want
to be treated with IMRT? | |
IMRT is the most precise form of radiation therapy available. It allows physicians to escalate the radiation dose to cancer cells. | ||
3. |
What kind of radiation is used
in IMRT? | |
| Currently, photons (X-rays) are used to deliver IMRT. The radiation is generated by a machine called a medical linear accelerator. | ||
4. |
Does radiation therapy expose
people to radioactive substances? | |
| Many people, when they hear the word “radiation,” think immediately of radioactive substances. However, no radioactive | ||
| substances are involved in the creation of X-rays or electrons by a medical linear accelerator. | ||
5. |
What happens when a person is
treated with IMRT? | |
| IMRT treatment involves three basic steps: diagnosis, treatment planning and delivery. As part of diagnosis, physicians | ||
| generate three-dimensional diagnostic images (usually CT or MRI) of the patient's anatomy and use these to specify the dose | ||
| of radiation each area will receive. |
||
| week for six or seven weeks. Each treatment takes ten to fifteen minutes. | ||
6. |
What is the IMRT process like? | |
| The IMRT process is similar to a typical radiation treatment, and it depends, to some extent, on a particular hospital's | ||
| approach to radiation oncology. Typically, after conducting a physical exam and a medical history review, the radiation | ||
| oncologist determines an individualized course of treatment for each patient. | ||
7. |
Who gives the treatment? | |
| A doctor who has had special training in using radiation to treat disease--a radiation oncologist--prescribes the type and | ||
| amount of treatment that best suits a particular patient’s needs. The radiation oncologist works closely with other doctors | ||
| and also heads a highly trained health care team. | ||
| This team often includes: a radiation physicist, a dosimetrist, a radiation therapy nurse, and a radiation therapist. | ||
8. |
How Long Is a Course of IMRT
Treatment? | |
| Radiation therapy usually is given five days a week for six or seven weeks. When radiation is used for palliative care, the | ||
| course of treatment lasts for two to three weeks. For each radiation therapy session, the patient is in the treatment room for | ||
9. |
Is IMRT Expensive? | |
| Treatment of cancer with radiation can be costly. It requires very complex equipment and the services of many health care | ||
| professionals. The exact cost of your radiation therapy will depend on the type and number of treatments you need. | ||
10. |
What are the benefits of
this procedure? | |
| The procedure can cure or help to cure the cancer or lessen the symptoms of cancer or its spread. | ||
11. |
When should I call my
health care provider? | |
| Call your provider right away if: | ||
|
· You develop a fever. | ||
|
· You have any change or
worsening of pain or symptoms. | ||
Call your provider during
office hours if you have questions about the procedure or its result. |
||
|
For more details contact: Department of Radiation Oncology Holy Spirit Hospital & Cancer Centre Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri – East Mumbai – 400093, India Tel No.: +91-22-2824 8500 – 04; Ext: 600 Fax: +91-22-2822 1430 |
||