Radiation therapy vs Chemotherapy
Difference between radiation therapy and chemotherapy: – Cancer is a difficult disease to treat; in fact, many people have died and will die because of it. It is a disease caused both by a person’s lifestyle and by their genes. Tobacco use, inadequate diet, infections, radiation, family inheritance and pollution are the main causes of cancer.
Difference between radiation therapy and chemotherapy
Today there are a lot of medications and treatments available for cancer patients. The most commonly used are radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Cancer patients today have more hope for recovery and pain relief. Some can even lead a full life thanks to the help of treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy or radiation oncology is a cancer treatment that uses ionizing radiation to control cancer cells. It is used to prepare patients for bone marrow transplants and for the relief and therapeutic treatment of most types of cancer. It can be combined with chemotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy and immunotherapy.
It is best for cancerous tumors and treatment depends on the type, location and general health of the patient. Leukemia, lymphomas, and germ cell tumors respond well to radiation therapy. To minimize the exposure of healthy cells to radiation, the source that emits is placed directly next to the cancerous area, especially in the breasts, prostate or other organs.
For larger tumors chemotherapy is used rather than radiotherapy, although the patient may also decide to undergo surgery in the first place. By using some drugs in conjunction with this treatment, sometimes a better response of the disease is achieved.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that is done through the use of chemicals. Kill cancer cells by using drugs. Most cancer cells divide quickly and chemotherapy destroys these cells, but the negative of this treatment is that it also kills healthy cells in the bone marrow, digestive tract and hair follicles; So that among the side effects are hair loss, inflammation of the digestive tract and a decrease in the production of blood cells.
It was first discovered during World War II when some people were exposed to mustard gas and had a drop in white blood cell count afterwards. The drug was then developed and administered to patients with lymphomas, which showed significant improvements. This paved the way for the development of other chemotherapy drugs for the treatment of other types of cancer.
Key Differences between Radiation and Chemotherapy is Radiation therapy treats cancer by using radiation rays, while chemotherapy uses drugs or medications. On the other hand Radiation therapy is used more to treat small tumors, while chemotherapy uses it to treat larger tumors.
