Can you die from radiotherapy?

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Radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy and known officially as radiation oncology, is the curative, preventive or palliative treatment of malignant growths and all types of cancer. Radiotherapy makes use of radioactive X-rays and gamma rays emitted by such substances as radium as well as the radioactive forms, or isotopes, of elements such as cobalt. Cancers and malignant growths result from the growth of unhealthy and abnormally shaped and abnormally functioning cells that have developed from genetic mutations in the deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, located in their constituent organelles. As these unhealthy cells undergo reproduction via a separation process called mitosis, they proliferate. The proliferation of these cells is the cause of what is commonly called “spreading” in the case of cancer and growth in the case of tumors. Unless acted upon, the proliferation of these unhealthy cells will result in the progression of illness and eventual death. The purpose of radiotherapy is to affect these unhealthy cells in such a way that their mutated DNA prevents further irreparable damage to such an extent that their malignant effects are minimized and their ability to grow and reproduce decelerated or destroyed.

In order to understand how radiotherapy works, it is important to understand the nature of radioactivity. Radioactivity is a chemical property of numerous elements and compounds chiefly characterized by instability in the atomic nuclei and or electron configurations. As a point of reference, nonradioactive elements in a stable state have similar quantities of negative electrons and positive protons. The charges “cancel” each other out, and any electromagnetic radiation produced by the movement of electrons from lower to higher orbitals is manifest simply as heat and light. In the case of radioactive atoms, there is an uneven distribution between electrons and protons, which results in a naturally charged, or ionized, state producing radioactive emissions of X and gamma radiation in addition to particle beams of protons and electrons.

The strength and type of radioactive emissions produced differ from substance to substance and depend heavily upon the particular atomic composition. As these emissions progress, in a process called decay, the radioactivity of the substance becomes less and less, in a process called depletion. Radioactive decay is measured in half-lives, that is, the amount of time required for half of the substance to become depleted and no longer radioactive. Once a half-life cycle is complete, another such cycle begins, and, in the same span of time, the remaining portion will decay by half, regardless of its mass. In other words, if the half-life of a given substance is one hour and there is one kilogram of the substance, half a kilogram will remain after one hour, a quarter kilogram after two hours, etc. The magnitude of a substance’s radioactivity is inversely correlated with its half-life (i.e., substances with a shorter half-life produce more radioactive emissions).

Living tissue can be affected in adverse ways as a result of short-term or prolonged exposure to radioactive substances. Such exposure can result in the very illness which controlled doses of radiation may be able to cure. Healthy cells can be adversely affected by the same phenomena which can thwart the reproduction and growth of cancer cells. Targeting the DNA of healthy normal cells, naturally occurring and or incidental radioactivity in nature or in society (e.g., nuclear waste), affects their function and growth. This exposure can ultimately result in the cellular mutations that constitute cancers and tumors. To this extent, radiotherapy can have malignant effects as a result of improper preparation of the body as well as from incorrect or unnecessarily high dosages. Since these malignant effects can be fatal, it is possible to die from radiotherapy.

Resource by A.Moore

I just moved to Michigan from South Carolina. This is my first winter here and so far it's freezing. I enjoy traveling, drawing, camping, writing, and doing community service in my spare time. I work for a education company and help them with their outreach to teachers and students. Hope everyone enjoys my articles.

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