At IMOR Institute, we are a medical institute specializing in onco-radiotherapy, offering treatments for various types of cancer. Among our many treatments, we offer radiotherapy to help improve the health and treat cancer in our patients.
To give you a better understanding, we’ll explain what radiotherapy involves and how it’s used.
What is radiotherapy?
Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, is a cancer treatment that uses bursts of energy to destroy cancer cells. X-rays are commonly used, although other options exist, such as proton therapy.
Current radiation methods are very precise, meaning they target the source of the problem directly while protecting healthy tissue from radiation.
Radiation therapy is usually administered both inside and outside the body. The most common method is external beam radiation, which uses a machine called a linear accelerator. In other words, it directs energy to a precise point in the body to target the cancer.
Radiation therapy is effective because it destroys cells at their genetic material, which is responsible for cell growth and division and which fuels cancer growth. During treatment, healthy cells may be damaged along with the diseased ones, although they can regenerate more easily than cancerous cells.
Ultimately, the goal of radiation therapy is to shrink and eliminate the cancer while trying not to damage the body’s healthy cells.
It is a highly effective treatment
This method, along with others such as surgery, chemotherapy, and biological therapies, is one of the most important in cancer treatment. Approximately 70% of cancer patients receive radiotherapy during their illness due to its effectiveness. Forty percent of patients are cured with this method as part of their treatment, and about 15% are cured with radiotherapy alone.
In recent years, thanks to technological advancements and medical research, radiotherapy has made significant progress in the quality of treatments, improving survival rates and quality of life for patients.
Today, we have access to radiotherapy machines and equipment that are less invasive and offer greater precision in targeting cancer.
How is radiotherapy used?
Radiation therapy can be used for various reasons and circumstances throughout cancer treatment. It is typically recommended in the following cases:
- Single treatment for cancer (primary treatment).
- Before surgery to reduce the size of the cancer (neoadjuvant therapy).
- After surgery to stop the development of any remaining cancer cells (adjuvant therapy).
- Along with other treatments such as chemotherapy.
- Relieve the symptoms of advanced cancer.
If you are interested in obtaining more information, contact us without obligation to discuss radiotherapy in Barcelona.