In cancer treatment, the World Health Organization recommends that 50% -60% of cancer patients receive radiation therapy.

Among all cancer treatments in the United States, 70% of patients choose radiation therapy, and of these, 70% are curative or participate in curative treatment.

Among these 70% of patients who underwent radical treatment or participated in radical treatment, another 70% were cured by radiation therapy, which cured or participated in the cure of 35% of tumors. The cure rate for tumors in the United States is approximately 60% -70%, which means that half or more of the tumors are cured with or with radiation therapy. In addition, data from the Federal Medical Administration shows that among all cancer treatment expenses, the cost of radiation therapy is less than 5%, which means that 35% of cancer patients have been cured or participated in with less than 5% of social resources. In short, radiation therapy is the most cost-effective treatment method. According to the data released by the Radiation Oncology Treatment Credit Committee of the Chinese Medical Association, the rate of choosing radiation therapy in China is only 23%. As is well known, doctors often treat cancer in three ways: surgery: removing the tumor. Chemotherapy: Using drugs to kill cancer cells. Radiotherapy: Focusing tumor tissue with radiation to kill the tumor.

ccording to data statistics from the World Health Organization, the current cure rate for cancer is 55%, with surgery contributing 27%, radiation therapy contributing 22%, and chemotherapy and other treatments contributing 6%. Therefore, it is unquestionable that radiotherapy can handle the situation independently. What is the truth about radiation therapy? This article will bring you a new understanding!

What is the role of radiotherapy in cancer treatment?

We usually refer to radiotherapy, which involves using different devices to allow radiation to enter tumor tissue and kill the tumor, mainly including internal and external irradiation.
Simply put, radiation therapy doctors use radiation as a weapon, delineate accurate irradiation areas, and "blow up" tumors in multiple doses like dropping bombs. In fact, radiotherapy is no longer a supporting role role in many tumor treatments. Modern radiotherapy has achieved accurate positioning, precise planning and precise treatment of tumor diagnosis and treatment. For example, the first choice for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is radiation therapy. After the adoption of new radiotherapy techniques for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the cure rate has significantly increased, reaching 95% within five years. While the cure rate has increased, various side effects of radiotherapy have also been reduced. Taking early lung cancer as an example, using image guided and body stereotactic therapy (SBRT) can basically achieve results similar to surgical resection. Especially suitable for patients who are elderly, weak, have many comorbidities, or are unwilling to undergo surgery themselves. For example, radiation therapy also has a good effect in palliative treatment, such as alleviating cancer pain, especially after bone metastasis, more than 80% of the pain can be relieved through radiation therapy, which improves the quality of life of patients and provides more opportunities for further treatment.

When do I need radiation therapy?

With the advancement of radiation therapy technology, the accuracy and efficacy of radiotherapy are constantly improving, and the field of radiotherapy is also constantly expanding:

Many early tumors can be cured by simple radiotherapy and can preserve organ function; Radiotherapy for locally advanced tumors can be combined with surgery and chemotherapy to improve the local control rate of tumors; For advanced cancer patients, radiation therapy can serve as a palliative measure, such as alleviating pain, obstruction, and other symptoms caused by the tumor, improving quality of life, and prolonging survival. Radiotherapy can be used alone or in combination with surgery and chemotherapy, as well as in combination with targeted drugs and immune drugs in clinical trials.

Before the patient's surgery, radiation therapy can be used to shrink the tumor, allowing the previously unresectable lesion to achieve surgical resection, while reducing the probability of tumor metastasis and improving the cure rate of the tumor, known as neoadjuvant radiotherapy.
After the patient's surgery, radiation therapy can be used to kill residual tumor cells that cannot be completely removed or visible to the naked eye, which is called adjuvant radiation therapy.

Four treatment goals for radiotherapy

1. Radical radiotherapy
Early nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphoma, seminoma, skin cancer, etc. can be cured through radiotherapy, thereby enabling patients to achieve long-term survival; Early vocal cord cancer, tongue cancer, esophageal cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer, among others, have achieved comparable results with surgical treatment through radiotherapy, while preserving organ function and greatly improving patient quality of life.
2. (New) Adjuvant radiotherapy - Preoperative radiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer, rectal cancer, and other cancers, which were originally difficult to undergo surgical resection. After radiotherapy, the tumor shrank, increasing the surgical resection rate and reducing the probability of tumor dissemination during surgery, significantly improving the patient's survival rate.
3. Adjuvant radiotherapy - postoperative radiotherapy for lung cancer, esophageal cancer, rectal cancer, breast cancer, brain tumor and other malignant tumors. Postoperative radiotherapy can not only eliminate the remaining tumor cells, but also improve the local tumor control rate and patient survival rate. Early breast cancer, through breast conserving surgery plus radiotherapy, can achieve the same effect as radical mastectomy, and the appearance of the breast can be completely preserved, improving the quality of life of patients.
4. Palliative and symptomatic radiation therapy not only treats the tumor itself, but also has a good effect on emergency conditions caused by the tumor, such as pain caused by bone metastasis, increased intracranial pressure and cancerous bleeding caused by intracranial metastasis, breathing difficulties caused by tumor compression of the trachea, and superior vena cava compression syndrome, which can improve the patient's quality of life.

What cancers can radiotherapy treat?

About 70% of malignant tumor patients require radiotherapy at different stages of disease development. For a specific patient, the use of radiotherapy should be based on the standardized treatment principles of the tumor, according to the type of tumor, stage of development, and the patient's physical condition.

Common tumors, such as glioma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and other head and neck tumors, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, rectal cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, lymphoma, metastatic tumors, and advanced tumors, such as pain relief and obstruction relief, may have radiotherapy indications depending on the patient's condition. Please consult the tumor radiotherapy doctor for specific conditions. The role and status of radiation therapy in tumor treatment are becoming increasingly prominent, and it has become one of the main methods for treating malignant tumors and an indispensable part of comprehensive treatment. With the popularization of intelligent precision radiotherapy technology, in the future, 30% -50% of people will be willing to choose radiotherapy for treatment, benefiting tens of millions of cancer patients nationwide.