It helps more than 70 per cent of all cancer patients to get cured or obtain relief from pain or bleeding in advanced stages. It consists of either external therapy with X-rays or Gamma-rays or internal therapy called ‘brachytherapy’, where radioactive needles are directly implanted into the tumor. External beam therapy takes a few minutes daily and about five to six weeks to complete an entire course during which, besides the tumor, a large number of normal cells also receive radiation. While the latter suffer only temporary harm due to their capacity to recover, cancer cells are damaged permanently. In due course of time, the normal cells not only regain their function completely, but also re-grow to cover up the gap left by the destroyed cancer cells. Today, radiotherapy is planned and executed with the help of dedicated computers to get an optimum ratio between therapeutic and undesirable effects.
The side-effects of radiotherapy result from its action on the normal cells in the treated region. Hence, patients with mouth, throat or food-pipe (esophagus) cancers develop soreness or ulcers in their inner lining, leading to difficulty in swallowing while abdominal reactions manifest as diarrhea, cramps or vomiting. Majority of these effects are temporary and would subside within three to six weeks of completion of therapy. The skin of the treated area may show hair loss without any other damage.
Although different cancers respond variously, nearly 80 per cent of all cancers can be completely cured with standard therapy, if detected in stages I or II. Unfortunately, most of our patients come with advanced disease due to personal neglect or poor awareness on the part of primary care physicians. While most of these cases cannot be cured, the quality of their remaining life can be improved with modern palliative and rehabilitative care. Multipronged efforts including media support are desirable to create greater awareness among the people and care givers to promote early detection and prompt therapeutic intervention. Well-equipped facilities for cancer treatment are few in India and exist mainly in only about a dozen Regional Cancer Centers, besides a few medical colleges.