Radiotherapy for lung cancer

• Κύριος συγγραφέας: Γιαννακίτσας, Παναγιώτης
• Άλλοι συγγραφείς: Παναγιωτάκης, Γεώργιος
• Μορφή: Thesis
• Γλώσσα: English
• Έκδοση: 2019
• Θέματα: Radiotherapy; Cancer; Oxygen; Ακτινοθεραπεία; Καρκίνος; Οξυγόνο; 616.994 240 642

Lung cancer affects a life-sustaining system of the body, the respiratory system. The respiratory system is accountable for one of the vital functions of life, breathing. Breathing enables one to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Every cell in the body depends on oxygen to function. Cancer is a state caused by the uncontrolled growth of cells. There are different kinds of cancer. These kinds are named according to the type of cell that is growing in an unchecked way. Cancer can arise from nearly any part of the body. More specifically, lung cancer explicates when normal lung cells maintain genetic damage that ultimately leads to uncontrolled cell multiplication. Lung cancer cells have the ability to invade neighboring tissues and spread or metastasize to distant parts of the body. If lung cancer is left unhealed, it eventually causes death. The great reserve capacity of normal lungs permits cancerous lung tumors to grow for years without jeopardizing lung function. The lungs do not have many nerves to impart pain messages so a cancerous lung tumor can grow for many years without causing any symptoms. This silent growth of lung cancer has led scientists to develop various methods such as lung cancer screening in the past few years. The process that gives the opportunity to define whether the cancer has spread and to what extent is called staging. As for the treatment of lung cancer, the deadly disease is currently cured by three forms of treatment. These are: surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. They are used on the patient in combination or separately depending on the type of lung cancer from which he or she suffers and the stage of illness. The medical machine that enables doctors to perform the radiation therapy procedure is the medical linear accelerator (LINAC). The practice of radiotherapy requires not only excellent clinical skills but also appropriate technical expertise.