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Originally Posted by uniqualist_me I may be just stupid, but I wanted to ask because I'm not sure. I know cancer is helped with radiation, what kinds of cancer is it used for? And can radiation be used to treat other diseases or problems? Thanks.
*****Sheila* |
Yes...certain cancers can be helped with radiation whether it's searching to eliminate the cancer totally, or just to reduce its size so as to help out symptoms, but not look for a cure. Radiotherapy is used in a lot of cancers including: brain tumours, lung cancer, breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancers (mainly rectal and anal cancers), prostate cancer, certain head & neck cancers and metastases from these cancers (especially ones to bone and brain).
Many types of tumours are radiosensitive in that, they will reduce in size when exposed to radition--some die off completely, others will grow back; however, there are two types of tumours that are not sensitive to radiation at all, and these are kidney cell carcinomas, as well as any sarcomatous tumours. Sarcomatous tumours are tumours that are of mesenchymal cells...i.e. cells that originate from: skeletal muscle (rhabomyosarcoma), nervous tissue (neurosarcoma), fat tissue (liposarcoma) and also bone tissue (osteosarcoma).
Radiation Questions 
