In tumour …belong to tumours that are malignant. Such cells may be bizarre in form or may be arranged in a distorted manner. In more extreme cases, the cells of malignant tumours are described as primitive, or undifferentiated, because they have lost the appearance and functions of the particular type of (normal)… Read More
In cancer: Malignant tumours and benign tumours Tumours, or neoplasms (from Greek neo, “new,” and plasma, “formation”), are abnormal growths of cells arising from malfunctions in the regulatory mechanisms that oversee the cells’ growth and development. However, only some types of tumours threaten health and life. With few… Read More
In radiation therapy: Early developments in radiation therapy …came into use to treat malignant (cancerous) and benign conditions. In 1922 at the Congress of Oncology in Paris, French radiation oncologist Henri Coutard presented the first evidence of the use of fractionated radiotherapy (radiation doses divided over the course of multiple treatments) to cure advanced cancer of the larynx… Read More
In radiation therapy: Indications for radiation therapy …major modalities available to treat malignant disease (the other two major modalities being chemotherapy and surgery). The decision to use radiation therapy is guided by specific indications of disease. For example, malignant cells are usually killed by ionizing radiation. However, some tumours can sustain higher amounts of damage before being… Read More
In radiation therapy: Toxicities of radiation therapy Secondary malignancies induced by radiation are one of the most-devastating consequences of radiation therapy. Examples of such malignancies include thyroid cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, gastric and colorectal cancers, and sarcomas of bone and soft tissue. In order for a malignancy to be considered radiotherapy-induced, it… Read More
