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radiation therapy
A medical treatment facilitated by a radiation oncologist, radiation therapist, and dosimetrist to reduce or eliminate tumors in patients with cancer, which can relieve symptoms or prevent further spreading. It is administered to the patient as rays or particles created by a machine, ingested or injected. Radiation therapy can damage both cancerous and regular cells, but the regular often recover. It can be used alone or with other medical treatments, and it usually lasts a few minutes per day, five days per week for a few weeks, depending on the cancer being treated. Radiation therapy does have side effects, most commonly fatigue, changes in the skin, and loss of appetite–all of which can be addressed by the attending physician. Radiation therapy will not be used unless the patient receiving it has given informed consent and all of the health care practitioners involved have developed a plan specific to the patient's needs, including the amount of radiation needed as well as the safest method and length of time for administering it.
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Last modified at 9/8/2009 9:14 AM by Committee
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