Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is an important cornerstone of cancer treatment

Reducing anxiety and being more informed about the treatment is helpful for patients

One in four people will be faced with a cancer diagnosis at some point in their life – a diagnosis that affects practically everyone in the family and circle of friends of the person involved. Cancer can be cured in about half of all cases. When it comes to treatment, radiotherapy is usually also a subject of discussion. That’s because around 60 percent of all patients will be treated with radiotherapy sooner or later. To give another statistic: In around 40 percent of cases in which the tumor can be permanently cured, radiotherapy is the only treatment method used or at least forms part of the treatment provided.

The three pillars of cancer treatment

Three methods to fight cancer have been developed over the years, and are used alone or in combination with each other in order to heal the patient. In addition to radiotherapy, the treatment options used are surgery and drug therapy, which is often referred to as chemotherapy. Many tumors can be treated surgically. If the tumor can be removed along with healthy tissue and there are no signs of metastasis, surgery alone may be enough in order to make the patient well again. However, radiotherapy or drug therapy is often used as a security measure after surgery in order to prevent the tumor from coming back. Drug therapy is based on certain substances that aim to kill the harmful cells or at least prevent their growth. Often, this treatment alone is not enough and is combined with other methods.

Radiotherapy is still a relatively recent area of specialism – in Germany, radiotherapy specialists have only existed since the end of the 1980s. But intensive research by medical professionals, biologists and physicists has allowed the method to develop rapidly. In contrast to drug therapy, radiotherapy only takes effect where it is supposed to, namely directly in the tumor itself. This means that the side effects of radiotherapy are lower in comparison to chemotherapy. Radiotherapy destroys the tumor by preventing the tumor cells from dividing and therefore the tumor from growing.

The Radiotherapy Patient System RPS is an integral part of modern radiotherapy. It ensures that the patient is positioned properly under the linear accelerator and therefore makes the radiation safer. Want to learn more? Then write to us at info@gkteso.de.