The Use of Radium for Cancer Treatment

Cancer is essentially the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. These mutant cells divide very fast and their rate of growth far exceeds the growth of normal cells. Over a period of time the cancer cells dominate the normal tissue of the body and make biological processes impossible to complete. Cancer can occur anywhere in the body and in any organ. Radiation therapy is still the most popular cancer treatment option. In this therapy high energy radioactive waves are used to kill the cancerous cells. The radiation damages the genetic material of the cancer cells which makes it impossible for the cells to continue dividin g intestinal organoid.

Radium was one of the first radioactive elements to be discovered and hence it was widely used for targeted radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer. Science has evolved over time and although radium is still used, many other methods and metals are also included in the process of cancer treatment. Radium has been proven as a satisfactory medium for radiation therapy. Radiation therapy involving radium involves an invasive procedure during which small gold tubes containing radium are inserted into the cancerous tissue. This causes the radiation from the radium to locally kill off the cancerous cells.

However, radium therapy is no longer the preferred option for cancer treatment and the most commonly used materials for radiation therapy nowadays are indium or cesium. Although the materials have changed, the general procedure for treatment is still the same. Even with these materials small devices containing the radioactive material are implanted around the affected tissue. The radiation emanating from these materials kills off the cancerous tissue slowly but surely. Sometimes cancer treatment may involve both radiation therapy as well as surgical removal of the affected organ or body part. This is usually the case with advanced stages of cancer.

An oncologist has to continually educate him or herself and keep abreast of the latest advancements in treatment for cancer. He or she should be adept at operating sophisticated equipment required during the process of radiation therapy and should also be an accomplished surgeon because many times surgery is required in the treatment of cancer along with chemo therapy and radiation therapy. The surgical procedures are used in order to surgically remove the affected organ or body part and may be quite complex. Above all, a cancer doctor should be compassionate. one who is conditioned to the anguish and pain felt by their cancer patients. He or she should be able to provide comfort and support and also prepare the patient mentally as well as physically for the treatment procedures.