Radiotherapy For Cervical Cancer

Radiotherapy uses radiation to control the spread of malignant tumours. Radiotherapy can be carried out externally and internally. In external radiotherapy, radioactive beams are directed onto your body from a machine. The beams come from a number of different angles, and aim to cross each other at the location of the malignant cells, so that the surrounding tissues only come into contact with relatively weak beams. Radiotherapy will be carefully planned to make sure you receive the right dose at regular intervals. The treatment is usually given over a five-day week with a rest at weekends. When you are following a course of external radiotherapy you do not become radioactive, and it is perfectly safe for you to come into contact with other people.

What is Cancer? What Causes Cancer?

Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.
Cancer harms the body when damaged cells divide uncontrollably to form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors (except in the case of leukemia where cancer prohibits normal blood function by abnormal cell division in the blood stream). Tumors can grow and interfere with the digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems, and they can release hormones that alter body function. Tumors that stay in one spot and demonstrate limited growth are generally considered to be benign.