Biology for engineers

Team Members
Akash Kumar 21SCSE1011222
Vivek Kumar 21SCSE1011227
Aditya Raj 21SCSE1011460
Vikash Kumar 21SCSE1011224
Nishi Kant Gupta 21SCSE1011225

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What is radiotherapy?
• Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA within cancer
cells and destroying their ability to reproduce. When the
damaged cancer cells are destroyed by radiation, the body
naturally eliminates them. Normal cells can be affected by
radiation, but they can repair themselves. Sometimes
radiation therapy is the only treatment a patient needs.
Other times, it is combined with other treatments, like
surgery.

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Types of radiation therapy

• There are two main types of radiation therapy, external beam and
internal.
• The type of radiation therapy that you may have depends on
many factors, including:
• the type of cancer
• the size of the tumor
• the tumor’s location in the body
• how close the tumor is to normal tissues that are sensitive to
radiation
• your general health and medical history
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How radiation therapy works against cancer

• At high doses, radiation therapy kills cancer cells or slows

their growth by damaging their DNA. Cancer cells whose
DNA is damaged beyond repair stop dividing or die. When
the damaged cells die, they are broken down and removed
by the body.
• Radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells right away. It
takes days or weeks of treatment before DNA is damaged
enough for cancer cells to die. Then, cancer cells keep dying
for weeks or months after radiation therapy ends.

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Types of cancer that are treated with radiation therapy

• External beam radiation therapy is used to treat many types

of cancer.
• Brachytherapy is most often used to treat cancers of the
head and neck, breast, cervix, prostate, and eye.
• A systemic radiation therapy called radioactive iodine, or I-
131 is most often used to treat certain types of thyroid
cancer.

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What does radiation therapy do to healthy
cells?
• Radiation not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells, it can also
affect nearby healthy cells. The healthy cells almost always recover
after treatment is over. But sometimes people may have side effects
that are severe or do not get better. Other side effects may show up
months or years after radiation therapy is over. These are called late
side effects.

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Does radiation therapy hurt?
• No, radiation therapy does not hurt while it is being given. But the
side effects that people may get from radiation therapy can cause
pain and discomfort. This booklet has a lot of information about ways
that you and your doctor and nurse can help manage side effects.

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How much radiation therapy costs

• Radiation therapy can be expensive. It uses complex

machines and involves the services of many health care
providers. The exact cost of your radiation therapy depends
on the cost of health care where you live, what type of
radiation therapy you get, and how many treatments you
need.

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How radiation is used with other cancer treatments

• some people, radiation may be the only treatment you

need. But, most often, you will have radiation therapy with
other cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy,
and immunotherapy. Radiation therapy may be given
before, during, or after these other treatments to improve
the chances that treatment will work. The timing of when
radiation therapy is given depends on the type of cancer
being treated and whether the goal of radiation therapy is
to treat the cancer or ease symptoms.

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Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
• Side effects, like skin tenderness, are generally limited to the
area receiving radiation. Unlike chemotherapy, radiation
usually doesn’t cause hair loss or nausea. Most side effects
begin during the second or third week of treatment. Side
effects may last for several weeks after the final treatment.

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Is Radiation Therapy Safe?
• Many advances have been made in the field to ensure it
remains safe and effective. Multiple healthcare professionals
develop and review the treatment plan to ensure that the
target area is receiving the dose of radiation needed. The
treatment plan and equipment are constantly checked to
ensure proper treatment is being given.

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 THANK YOU

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