The History of Cancer Radiotherapy
When Rontgen and Becquerel discovered radiation and x – rays during the late 1800s it stimulated the development and research for radiation application. Also, during the turn of the century, Marie Curie received a Nobel Prize for her work and research on radioactive elements.
Coincidently, based on several studies at that time, physicians and scientist discovered that radiation exposure slowed and regressed the development of several cancerous tumors. At that time experts could not find the cause of this phenomena even though based on historical data, the first oncologist treated successfully the first cancer patient in 1898. During this early era of radiotherapy, it was mainly used to treat superficial types of cancer. Interestingly enough, most cancer cases treated at this time had a tendency to reoccur due to the inconsistent specification of radiation application procedures and the huge doses of radiation the patient was exposed to.
The development of radiotherapy continued throughout that late 1930s until the late 1940s when the enhanced development of hardware allowed propelling charged particles via a vacuum tunnel known as a linear accelerator or Linac for short. This development was utilized to create an extremely penetrable beam to focus radiation onto cancerous tumors deeper within the body while limiting its effect towards the skin. Edward Ginzton and Dr. Henry Kaplan, two experts for Stanford University, collaborated to implement a standard operational procedure which could be used safely in a clinical setting. By the year 1960, the research of these experts resulted in the first publically used rotational radiotherapy Linac known as the Clinac 6. On the other hand, when Clinca 6 was introduced, an enhanced powered x – ray projection machine system was readily available to a certain radiation oncologist. Although, flaws in this machine system included limited ability to direct the charged particles and locating the main tumor.
The past few decades the development and advances of radiotherapy technology have been amazing even though there have been several limitations. One main problem in the development of radiotherapy hardware technology was to prevent or limit the exposure of healthy cells to radiation. It was essential to create a more precise targeting method and the charged particles were required to consistently form the shape of the cancerous tumor. With the further development of computer technology, this has allowed physicians to obtain three dimensional scans of the tumor and surrounding tissues.
The combination of radiotherapy and advanced mapping methods of internal scanning technology resulted in the Intensity – modulated radiation therapy also known as IMRT machine. This machine integrates mapping data and information from devices which are capable of performing Computer Tomography (CT) scans. The procedures above results in a detailed three dimensional image of the tumor which is then sent to the radiation beam Linac system to focus on the contours of the tumor.
A more sophisticated version of the IMRT is the Tomo Therapy system. This process which is already commercially patented, implements Computer Tomography guided IMRT technology that allows focusing the radiation source completely around the cancer patient. This enables the Linac radiotherapy beam to easily create and focus on a three dimensional contour of the tumor. Tomo therapy is considered relatively new since it has just been clinically applied in 2003.
The most recent development of scanning technology in conjunction with radiotherapy is the Image Guided Radiation Treatment (IGRT) system. The unique feature of the IGRT machine is that it implements dynamic Computer Tomography images of the body to compensate and pinpoint any mobility the tumor has experienced. This somewhat solves the problem of targeting and scanning tumors inside the body since it is normally mobile. Amazingly, IGRT technology refocuses every degree of movement enabling a more accurate method to target the tumor. Basically, IGRT is considered the most versatile and sophisticated form of radiotherapy.
For patients planning to undergo radiotherapy, it is wise to consult to your physician of the various methods of radiotherapy available. Patients must also consider the costs and benefits of each method.