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  • Essay / Medical imaging techniques

    Ionizing radiation is a treatment method commonly used to treat cancer. Radiation therapy uses high-energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, or protons, to destroy or damage cancer cells. Radiation can be delivered by a machine outside the body (external radiotherapy) or come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells (internal radiotherapy, also called brachytherapy). Radiotherapy used to treat breast cancer. Breast cancer can be treated with indifferent treatment methods such as surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and biological therapy. Treatments are applied depending on the stage and grade of the cancer (how big and widespread it is), its general health and whether it is menopausal or not. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Radiotherapy uses controlled doses of radiation to kill cancer cells. It is usually given after surgery to kill remaining cancer cells. The type of radiotherapy will depend on the cancer and the type of surgery. Some women may not need radiation therapy at all. The types and available are: ? Breast radiation therapy – after breast-conserving surgery, radiation therapy is applied to all of the remaining breast tissue. Chest wall radiation therapy – After a mastectomy, radiation therapy is applied to the chest wall. Breast stimulation – some women may be offered high-dose radiotherapy to the area where the cancer was removed; However, the boost can affect the appearance of the breast, particularly if the patient has large breasts, and can sometimes have other side effects, including hardening of the breast tissue (fibrosis). Lymph node radiotherapy – where radiotherapy is aimed at the axilla (armpit) and surrounding area to kill any cancer that may be present in the lymph nodes. Ultrasound Treatment Ultrasound is not only used to diagnose one disease but also to treat a different disease. Focused ultrasound is one of the ultrasound treatment technologies used to treat Parkinson's disease. Focused ultrasound is an early-stage, non-invasive therapeutic technology that has the potential to improve quality of life and reduce the cost of care for patients with Parkinson's disease. This new technology focuses ultrasonic energy beams with precision and accuracy on targets deep in the brain without damaging surrounding normal tissue. Where the beams converge, ultrasound produces various therapeutic effects allowing Parkinson's disease to be treated without surgery. Currently, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease and the main treatment options for motor symptoms include drug therapy and invasive surgery, but focused ultrasound could provide a non-invasive therapeutic alternative to surgery with fewer risks. Relief of Motor Symptoms Focused ultrasound has the potential to achieve symptomatic relief by creating deep thermal lesions in the brain to interrupt the circuits involved in tremor and dyskinesia. Symptoms and targets evaluated for focused ultrasound treatment include: ? Parkinsonian tremor – target in the thalamus (thalamotomy).? Parkinsonian dyskinesia – target in the globus pallidus (pallidotomy) or thesubthalamic nucleus. Parkinsonian tremor or akinesia – target in the pallidothalamic tract. Laser Therapy Laser therapy is a medical treatment that uses a powerful beam of light to cut, burn or destroy tissue. The term LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers can be used for many medical purposes. Because the laser beam is so small and precise, it allows healthcare providers to treat tissue safely without harming the surrounding area. Laser lithotripsy is one of the laser treatments used to remove kidney stones. Lasers are often used for: ? Treat varicose veins? Improve vision during corneal eye surgery? Repair a detached retina of the eye? Remove the prostate? Remove kidney stones? Suppressing tumors Ionizing radiation therapy Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA (the molecules inside cells that carry genetic information and pass it from one generation to the next). Radiation therapy can either damage DNA directly or create charged particles (free radicals) in cells which can in turn damage DNA. Unlike cancer treatment, radiation therapy could eventually cause cancer. When the atoms of living cells are ionized, one of three things usually happens: the cell dies, the cell repairs itself, or the cell mutates incorrectly and can become cancerous. Not all cells are affected in the same way by ionizing radiation. If a breast cancer patient needs radiation therapy, treatment will begin about a month after surgery or chemotherapy to give the patient's body a chance to recover. In general, breast cancer will likely require radiation therapy sessions three to five days a week, for three to six weeks, and each session will only last a few minutes. Radiation therapy has side effects in addition to causing cancer cells. This could eventually irritate and darken the skin of the breast, which could lead to painful, red, oozing skin, extreme tiredness (fatigue), affect sex life, and excess fluid buildup in the arm caused by blocked lymph nodes under the breast. arm. Radiotherapy offers effective treatment for advanced cancer and its main goal is to inhibit the potential of cancer cells to multiply and eventually kill them. However, radioresistance and repopulation (relapse or recurrence) at the primary site and malignant areas remain an important clinical challenge in the fight against cancer. Some tumors are inherently radioresistant, while others acquire radioresistance during treatment. To overcome tumor cell radioresistance, it will be difficult to identify tumor-specific pathways and inhibitors. Focused Ultrasound Therapy Focused ultrasound using lower intensities, producing a low temperature rise (hyperthermia) and mechanical agitation, can also be used to deliver medications to the brain and other areas of the body. For example, focused ultrasound beams are being studied to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier to allow drug delivery to diseased brain tissue. This technique involves injecting a therapeutic agent accompanied by gas-filled microbubbles into the bloodstream. Ultrasound is then applied to target areas of the brain, causing the bubbles to vibrate, loosening the tight junctions of the endothelial cells lining the