Localized Radiation Therapy
Posted by Sheri Harris on Sunday, May 23, 2010
Under: TECHNOLOGY
Cancer is a sensitive subject to many people. The treatments are rigorous and it takes a lot of mental and physical strength on a body. The illness or any illness will challenge a person on many levels. Tumors need to be detected during an exam or onset of problem or symptom. When they are not the cancer could eventually grow or spread. In attempts to eliminate the cancer people are exposed to high doses of radiation therapy to rid the body of the cancer entirely which causes side effects and other problems as well. What if radiation were given to cancer patients by localized dose on the cancer site area of the body only? Currently radiation is administered to affect larger areas of the body than necessary which causes harm and breakdown to areas that do not have cancer. Many people do not tolerate radiation in that they develop infections that their bodies struggle in fighting off. If a cancerous tumor is "isolated" and does not appear to have spread to other parts of the body, then why should the healthy parts of the body be exposed to radiation and subjected to its compromise by debilitation afterwards? There needs to be a demand for cancer therapies that provide more of a "localized" method of radiation or injection. By doing so you target the cancer and surrounding cells and tissue, thus avoiding unaffected body parts. With such an approach a patient will benefit from less side affects and the body will be able to recover quickly.
IDEA:
The localized radiation therapy machine. This machine can be used in an office setting where the patient can be sitting up or laying down. The amount of localized radiation dose is set up by the administering physician. A radiation barrier is used to separate any output of radiation given to the patient and prevents any excess exposure by shielding the beam to prevent accidental exposure to physicians and clinical workers from the radiation. Since the localized radiation machine targets only a selected area the machine emits radiation only to the targeted area. This procedure would work by injecting a patient with a dye that highlights malignant tumors or cancerous areas. Those images of the affected area of the body can be seen on the machines screen by use of a probe to detect the tissue and cell images magnetically a camera proble can also be used.
Afterwards, the linear excellerator can be set for the amount of radiation needed. A second probe that emits the powerful radiation necessary is modified and set to distribute doses of radiation. With the use of the handheld probe, the physician begins to administer radiation directly to the affected area. During each dose the assistant and physician evaluate all phases of radiation in checking the machine levels and ensure the well being of the patient. Once radiation is properly administered to the cancerous tumors the dye will disappear. On subsequent visits for followup's the patient will be injected again with the dye to check for progress and the effects of the radiation treatment given. If no dye appears and images of the body appear to be free of cancer or no onset of growth and considerable tumor shrinkage then no radiation will be given. A procedure such as this would mean less harmful radiation given to the patient, smaller machines which mean less money, and the patient has a chance for a faster and healthier recovery.
IDEA:
The localized radiation therapy machine. This machine can be used in an office setting where the patient can be sitting up or laying down. The amount of localized radiation dose is set up by the administering physician. A radiation barrier is used to separate any output of radiation given to the patient and prevents any excess exposure by shielding the beam to prevent accidental exposure to physicians and clinical workers from the radiation. Since the localized radiation machine targets only a selected area the machine emits radiation only to the targeted area. This procedure would work by injecting a patient with a dye that highlights malignant tumors or cancerous areas. Those images of the affected area of the body can be seen on the machines screen by use of a probe to detect the tissue and cell images magnetically a camera proble can also be used.
Afterwards, the linear excellerator can be set for the amount of radiation needed. A second probe that emits the powerful radiation necessary is modified and set to distribute doses of radiation. With the use of the handheld probe, the physician begins to administer radiation directly to the affected area. During each dose the assistant and physician evaluate all phases of radiation in checking the machine levels and ensure the well being of the patient. Once radiation is properly administered to the cancerous tumors the dye will disappear. On subsequent visits for followup's the patient will be injected again with the dye to check for progress and the effects of the radiation treatment given. If no dye appears and images of the body appear to be free of cancer or no onset of growth and considerable tumor shrinkage then no radiation will be given. A procedure such as this would mean less harmful radiation given to the patient, smaller machines which mean less money, and the patient has a chance for a faster and healthier recovery.
In : TECHNOLOGY