By Antin. Radiotherapy or X-ray therapy is treating cancer with beams of high-energy particles, or waves (radiation), such as gamma rays or X-rays. Radiotherapy can affect healthy bone cells as well as bone cancer cells, but it’s much more harmful to cancer cells. Normal cells also can recover from the effects of radiation more easily than bone cancer cells.

Many people with bone cancer undergo some type of radiation therapy. The doctor may suggest using radiation therapy at different times during bone cancer treatment and for different reasons. Radiotherapy can use before surgery to shrink a the bone cancer tumor. After surgery sometimes the doctor suggest radiotherapy to stop the growth of any remaining cancer cells. Radiotherapy may also be used at the same time as chemotherapy.

Doctors sometimes use radiotherapy to reduce the symptoms of bone cancer. Radiotherapy can shrink tumors in order to decrease the pressure, pain or other symptoms of the bone cancer.

This involves the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells in the body. It also prevents cancerous cells from dividing. Some healthy cells that divide quickly, such as those in your bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive system and hair follicles can also affected by chemotherapy. While this treatment has a good rate of success, it comes with severe side effects such as the onset of anemia, fever, loss of hair, vomiting, nausea and even sterility. Healthy cells usually recover shortly after chemotherapy is complete. So after suffering hair loss in chemotherapy, your hair soon starts growing again.

Unlike radiation therapy, which treats only the part of your body exposed to the radiation, chemotherapy treats the body as a whole (systemically). Its purpose is to treat cells that may have escaped from where the bone cancer originated.

Depending on the type of bone cancer you have and whether it has spread, the doctor may use chemotherapy to:

  • Shrink the bone cancer prior to surgery, making the operation easier
  • Eliminate all cancer cells that left in your body after surgery, even when cancer is widespread
  • Prolong your life by controlling cancer growth and spread
  • Relieve symptoms and enhance your quality of life

Wish these useful articles helpful for you: Categories of Cancer.


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