Argumentative Essay On Radiation Therapy

Often times, fatal diseases don’t surface the minds of the average person. However, “approximately 38.5 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer of any site at some point during their lifetime” (1), proving that it is far more prevalent than we think. So while cancer treatment may not seem relevant to a healthy person, it is still essential to be informed about options for medical care. One of the more common forms of is radiation therapy. In fact, approximately 50% of all cancer patients will go through this type of treatment (4). Delivered in three forms, radiation therapy utilizes beams of radiation targeted at tumors to treat cancer. The first X-ray was invented in 1896 by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, and just three years later, radiation was used to treat cancer (2). Originally, treatment involved low voltage diagnostic machines and radium, but scientists soon found that daily doses of radiation over the course of several weeks improved the therapy. In the beginning of 20th century, scientists discovered that in addition to treating cancer,

Radiation therapy is not necessarily better than chemotherapy or surgery, as it has both benefits and risks. Instead, choosing the right treatment depends on the case of each individual patient. Chemotherapy, which utilizes drugs delivered to the entire body, prevents the cancer cells from spreading. On the other hand, surgery and radiation therapy target one specific area. Often times, patients will undergo chemotherapy or radiation therapy to shrink the tumor before getting surgery to remove it entirely. However, this is not the only way different treatments are used in conjunction with one another. By carefully assessing the location, size, and stage of the tumor and analyzing the patient’s medical history, age, symptoms, and a variety of other factors, oncologists will design an efficient treatment plan with the least amount of