How Radiation Therapy is Used to Treat Cancer in Mumbai?

Radiation therapy is one of the procedures used to kill cancer cells in the body. If all the cancer cells die, it is known as curative radiotherapy. Radiation therapy is often combined with chemotherapy, or used before surgery, known as neoadjuvant radiotherapy. Adjuvant radiotherapy also minimizes the risk of the cancer cells coming back in the patient’s body. It is important to choose the best radiation hospital in Mumbai, as palliative radiotherapy could be used to just curb the early-recurring signs of cancer.

Forms of Radiotherapy

Though radiation therapy is considered to be the most effective form of cancer treatment, the side-effects and full chances of remission depends from person to person. The best cancer treatment in Mumbai is done by specially trained experts from Jaslok Hospitals and Research Center. Your cancer specialist in Mumbai would guide you on the best form of radiotherapy suitable for you.

· External radiotherapy involves lying under a direct beam of radiation that is aimed at the cancer cells.

· Radiotherapy implants called Brachytherapy are small pieces of metal that are placed near the cancer cells inside the body to kill them off.

· Radioisotope therapy are capsules and injections that the patient swallows, or are injected in their blood.

· Intrabeam radiotherapy is directly aimed at a growing tumor to reduce it, or remove it.

Most patients can go home almost immediately after undergoing chemotherapy in Mumbai. If you are undergoing radioisotope, or brachytherapy, you may need to spend a few days in the medical center.

Side effects of Radiotherapy

Most side effects that appear after undergoing radiotherapy, at even the best radiation hospital in Mumbai, can be treated. It is a common myth that one becomes radioactive after undergoing radiation therapy. That is absolutely not the case, as the radiation passes through the body. If you undergo brachytherapy, you may need to stay in the hospital, socially distant from others, as a precaution, for radiation could stay in your body.

Some of the common side effects one may experience after chemotherapy in Mumbai are:

· Rashy, red, sensitive, sore skin.

· Fatigue after small tasks

· Hair loss in the area being treated, or hair loss in general

· Appetite loss

· Sandpaper mouth

· Diarrhoea

· Feeling very sick

What to ask before treatment starts?

Radiation therapy could prove to be an expensive procedure. Hence, you must consult with your cancer specialist in Mumbai about your treatment goals, how much of your pain would be relieved, whether your body could cope with such a gruelling treatment, and so on. If you are an aged person, have diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, chronic pain, or other illnesses, please be open about them with your doctor. The treatment may not work effectively if there would be lasting side effects. Men and women are advised to use contraception, as radiotherapy could harm a potential unborn foetus.

Plan your treatment

The highest possible dose of radiotherapy is targeted against the cancer cells. It is a physically strenuous treatment. CT Scans are done to figure out the exact location of the cancerous tumor, or tissue. Ink marks are made on the spot outside your body, on the skin. You will be given a mask, if the radiation therapy is too close to your head and neck. The doctors specializing in the best cancer treatment in Mumbai would ensure your safety and recovery after radiation therapy. The target of the treatment is to damage the least number of cells during radiation therapy.

In conclusion

Most patients have five treatments each week. However, in special cases, treatment is given more than once in a day, or a ‘fraction’ of the radiation strength is used to deliver the ray. If for any reason whatsoever, the cost, or your dissatisfaction with the poor quality of life you will probably receive after undergoing radiation therapy, you decide to discontinue the treatment, it is solely your decision. No doctor, or relative has the right to force you to undergo such a gruelling treatment.