1. Team Members
Biology for engineers
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Akash Kumar 21SCSE1011222
Vivek Kumar 21SCSE1011227
Aditya Raj 21SCSE1011460
Vikash Kumar 21SCSE1011224
Nishi Kant Gupta 21SCSE1011225
2. What is radiotherapy?
• Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA within cancer cells and
destroying their ability to reproduce. When the damaged cancer cells are
destroyed by radiation, the body naturally eliminates them. Normal cells can
be affected by radiation, but they can repair themselves. Sometimes radiation
therapy is the only treatment a patient needs. Other times, it is combined with
other treatments, like surgery.
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3. Types of radiation therapy
• There are two main types of radiation therapy, external beam and
internal.
• The type of radiation therapy that you may have depends on many
factors, including:
• the type of cancer
• the size of the tumor
• the tumor’s location in the body
• how close the tumor is to normal tissues that are sensitive to
radiation
• your general health and medical history
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4. How radiation therapy works
against cancer
• At high doses, radiation therapy kills cancer cells or slows their
growth by damaging their DNA. Cancer cells whose DNA is
damaged beyond repair stop dividing or die. When the
damaged cells die, they are broken down and removed by the
body.
• Radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells right away. It takes
days or weeks of treatment before DNA is damaged enough for
cancer cells to die. Then, cancer cells keep dying for weeks or
months after radiation therapy ends.
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5. Types of cancer that are treated
with radiation therapy
• External beam radiation therapy is used to treat many types of
cancer.
• Brachytherapy is most often used to treat cancers of the head
and neck, breast, cervix, prostate, and eye.
• A systemic radiation therapy called radioactive iodine, or I-131
is most often used to treat certain types of thyroid cancer.
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6. What does radiation therapy do to healthy
cells?
• Radiation not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells, it can also
affect nearby healthy cells. The healthy cells almost always recover
after treatment is over. But sometimes people may have side effects
that are severe or do not get better. Other side effects may show up
months or years after radiation therapy is over. These are called late
side effects.
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7. Does radiation therapy hurt?
• No, radiation therapy does not hurt while it is being given. But the
side effects that people may get from radiation therapy can cause
pain and discomfort. This booklet has a lot of information about ways
that you and your doctor and nurse can help manage side effects.
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8. How much radiation therapy
costs
• Radiation therapy can be expensive. It uses complex machines
and involves the services of many health care providers. The
exact cost of your radiation therapy depends on the cost of
health care where you live, what type of radiation therapy you
get, and how many treatments you need.
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9. How radiation is used with other
cancer treatments
• some people, radiation may be the only treatment you need.
But, most often, you will have radiation therapy with other
cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy,
and immunotherapy. Radiation therapy may be given before,
during, or after these other treatments to improve the chances
that treatment will work. The timing of when radiation therapy
is given depends on the type of cancer being treated and
whether the goal of radiation therapy is to treat the cancer or
ease symptoms.
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10. Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
• Side effects, like skin tenderness, are generally limited to
the area receiving radiation. Unlike chemotherapy,
radiation usually doesn’t cause hair loss or nausea. Most
side effects begin during the second or third week of
treatment. Side effects may last for several weeks after
the final treatment.
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11. Is Radiation Therapy Safe?
• Many advances have been made in the field to ensure it
remains safe and effective. Multiple healthcare
professionals develop and review the treatment plan to
ensure that the target area is receiving the dose of
radiation needed. The treatment plan and equipment are
constantly checked to ensure proper treatment is being
given.
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