COMPUTERS AND RADIATION

THERAPY/ONCOLOGYLydia EichlerCIS 109

WHAT IS ONCOLOGY?

“The field of medicine that is devoted to cancer. Clinical oncology consists of three primary disciplines…”

Medical Oncology

Surgical Oncology

Radiation Oncology

RADIATION THERAPY/ONCOLOGY “Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often gets its power from X-rays, but the power can also come from protons or other types of energy.”

Nearly two thirds of cancer patients in the United States receive radiation therapy

HISTORY

Discovery of X-Rays in 1895 by the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen

Marie Sklodowska Curie and her husband Pierre Curie isolated the first known radioactive elements

Pierre Curie also found the existence of gamma rays

(1875-1960) Emil Grubbe a student in Chicago became the World’s first Radiation Oncologist

Claude Reguad a professor at the Radium Institute in Paris discovered treatment was more effective if delivered slowly with modest, low doses daily over weeks instead of the high dosed limited treatments.

THEN VS NOW

Early Radiation Therapy Machines

Modern Radiation Therapy Machines

CHANGES OVER THE YEARS

Computers and advancements of the machines have made treatments easier for both patient and therapist.

A radiation therapist can now take an x-ray and assure the patient is in the correct position before each treatment. They can then immediately if the patient is in the right position and start treatment without having to re-enter the room. It is also all digital, there is no actual film for the radiation therapist to carry out and process.

The machines now have arms that move and adjust allowing the radiation therapist to not have to re-enter the room, and making treatments go faster for patients.

COMPUTERS IN RADIATION THERAPY Initial scans

Scans of each patient before each treatment

Line up images to ensure correct positioning

Immediate access to patient charts

Dosimetry

Ensure accurate amounts of exposure

Initial vs current scan comparisons

“Modern computers are powerful tools for the study of tumor and normal tissue response to various radiation treatment regimens. Computers aid in the development of mathematical models which combine well known radiobiological principles in complex ways to predict treatment results. These predictions may be useful guides to the development of hypotheses for clinical testing. Computers make possible the application of sophisticated statistical techniques to the retrospective analysis of clinical data. For both the predictive models and the analytical methods the importance of the underlying assumptions rather than the computational techniques must be emphasized.”

RISKS AND BENEFITS

Risks

radiation therapy can increase the risk of getting another cancer

Hair loss at treatment site

Skin irritation

Fatigue

Benefits

It may be more helpful in some cases than in others.

The odds a second cancer will develop after radiation treatment for a first cancer are relatively low

radiologists today are better able to pinpoint treatment and limit exposure to healthy tissue

Does not make a person radioactive at any time

CONCLUSION

Radiation therapy/oncology is a growing field in medicine and cancer treatment today.

Computers are playing an increasingly important role in treatments, not only aiding in safety, ease of treatment for patient and therapist, accuracy of treatment, record keeping, and most important quality of treatment.

WORK CITED

"Frequently Asked Questions About Radiation Therapy." Cancer.Net. N.p., 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/radiation-therapy/frequently-asked-questions-about-radiation-therapy>.

"History of Radiation Therapy." UC San Diego Health Sciences. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://healthsciences.ucsd.edu/som/radiation-medicine/about/Pages/history-radiation-therapy.aspx>.

Mayo Clinic Staff. Mayo Clinic. Radiation Therapy Risks, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mayoclinic.org%2Ftests-procedures%2Fradiation-therapy%2Fbasics%2Frisks%2Fprc-20014327>.

"Oncology." MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=18683>.

"Radiation Therapy." - Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/radiation-therapy/basics/definition/prc-20014327>.

Reinberg, Steven. "Benefits of Radiation Therapy Outweigh Risks of a Second Cancer: Study." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 30 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/cancer/articles/2011/03/30/benefits-of-radiation-therapy-outweigh-risks-of-a-second-cancer-study>.

"The Role of Computers in Radiation Therapy: Analysis of Clinical Radiotherapy Data." Radiology:. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://pubs.rsna.org/doi/abs/10.1148/129.3.783?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed>.