What is the process of radiation therapy

Radiotherapy is a treatment method that uses high-energy radiation to kill or damage cancer cells. The process of radiotherapy generally includes diagnosis and evaluation, planning of radiotherapy, simulation of positioning and mold making, initiation of radiotherapy, monitoring and adjustment during radiotherapy, and follow-up after radiotherapy. 1. Diagnosis and evaluation First, the doctor will use a series of tests, such as CT, MRI or PET-CT, to determine the location, size and spread of the tumor. This information is crucial for planning radiotherapy. 2. Develop radiotherapy plan Radiotherapy team (Including radiologists, physicists and radiologists) will develop a precise radiotherapy plan based on the diagnosis results. This plan will specify the dose of radiotherapy, the scope of irradiation, the number of treatments, and the duration of each treatment. 3. Simulating positioning and making molds Before the start of radiotherapy, the patient needs to undergo a simulated positioning. During this procedure, the radiation technician uses specialized equipment to determine the tumor location in the patient's body, and creates a mold that fixes the patient's position to ensure that the patient's position and tumor location remain consistent for each radiation.4. Start RadiationOnce the radiation plan is completed and the mold is made, the patient can begin radiation therapy. Radiotherapy is usually given once a day, five days a week, for several weeks. The duration of each radiation treatment is usually short, which may be only a few minutes to ten minutes. 5. Monitoring and adjustment during radiotherapy. During radiotherapy, the doctor will check the patient regularly to monitor the tumor response and the patient's physical condition. If necessary, the doctor may adjust the radiotherapy plan. 6. Follow-up after radiotherapy After radiotherapy, patients need to be followed up for a period of time. Doctors will regularly check the patient's physical condition to evaluate the effect of radiotherapy and deal with possible complications.