Differentiate chemotherapy and radiation therapy

Chemotherapy is given through an intravenous line or can be taken orally while radiation therapy is the use of radiation beams focused on specific areas of the body.
Chemotherapy and radiation are two of the most common cancer treatments. Whether a patient is treated with chemotherapy or radiation will depend on the type and location of the cancer, as well as overall health.

The main difference between chemotherapy and radiation is how they are introduced into the body. With chemotherapy, the doctor will use a drug to kill cancer cells, put into the body by mouth orally or through a vein ... Radiotherapy means putting high dose radiation beams directly into the tumor. The radiation beam changes the tumor's DNA structure, causing it to shrink or die. This type of cancer treatment has fewer side effects than chemotherapy because it targets only one area of ​​the body.

Valence

Chemotherapy drugs are designed to destroy rapidly dividing cells in the body - specifically cancer cells. However, there are cells in other parts of your body that divide rapidly but develop cancer cells such as cysts, nails, gastrointestinal tract, mouth, bone marrow, etc. may also accidentally target and destroy normal cells, thereby causing some side effects.

Cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Photo: Healthline.

Chemotherapy may be given in different forms, by mouth (oral); given intravenously. Chemotherapy usually takes place every few weeks, targeting cancer cells at a certain time in their life cycle.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy may experience some side effects such as nausea and vomiting; hair loss; tired; infection; mouth or throat ulcers; anemia; diarrhea; pain and numbness in the limbs (peripheral neuropathy) ... Different chemotherapy drugs will cause different side effects and all patients will respond to different chemotherapy.

Radiotherapy

With radiation therapy, radiation beams are focused on a specific area of ​​the body. Radiation alters the tumor's DNA structure, causing cells to die instead of multiply and possibly spread. Radiation may be used as the primary method for treating and destroying the tumor, but it can also be used to shrink the tumor before surgery; Used to destroy cancer cells remaining after surgery. Radiation therapy is also part of treatments combined with chemotherapy.

Cancer patients prepare radiation therapy. Photo: Healthline.

There are three types of radiation therapy used to treat cancer. One is external beam radiation: this method uses the radiation beam from a machine to focus directly on the patient's tumor location. The other is internal radiation, also known as brachytherther treatments. This method uses radiation (which can be liquid or solid) placed inside the body near the tumor. Three is systemic radiation: involving radiation in tablet or liquid form that is taken orally or intravenously.

Because radiation therapy focuses on one area of ​​the body, patients may experience fewer side effects than chemotherapy. However, this method can still affect healthy cells in the body, causing digestive problems such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea; skin changes; hair loss; tired; sexual dysfunction ...

Can chemotherapy and radiation be used together?

Chemotherapy and radiation are sometimes used together to treat certain types of cancer. This method is called concomitant treatment, recommended if the cancer cannot be removed by surgery; have the ability to spread to other areas of the body ...

How to deal with side effects of chemotherapy and radiation

Patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy are more likely to experience some side effects, especially nausea. To cope with this condition, patients should ask the doctor about drugs that can be used to treat nausea; Place a piece of alcohol on the bridge of your nose if you have nausea; or use ginger tea to relieve nausea.

In addition, patients should split meals, eat foods that are high in nutrients and protein.