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According to the American Cancer Society, 65 percent of those diagnosed with cancer will live more than five years after diagnosis. Thirty years ago, only 50 percent of patients survived. Improved survival rates are due to better screening, such as mammograms to catch breast cancer or colonoscopies to detect colorectal cancer. Significant advances in radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy are also helping to successfully treat cancer. For people with cancer, understanding the differences between treatment options can be overwhelming. In particular, radiation therapy, the most technologically sophisticated type of cancer treatment, can be very confusing for patients to understand. For example, a man with early stage prostate cancer could be considering 3-D conformal radiation therapy, brachytherapy, proton therapy or intensity modulated radiation therapy, all of which are safe and effective treatments. The doctors and nurses from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology recently launched a Web site called RTanswers.org to explain the different types of radiation therapy and how they work. Topics include: * detailed descriptions and pictures of the various types of radiation therapy; * up-to-date information on many forms of cancer treated with radiation; * questions to ask your doctor about radiation therapy; * possible side effects and suggestions for care during treatments; * expectations before, during and after radiation; * search function to locate a radiation oncologist in your area; * information about clinical trials; * detailed dictionary explaining common terms. The site is written and approved by radiation oncologists, the specialists who use radiation therapy to cure cancer and other diseases. Radiation oncologists work with primary care physicians, surgeons and other specialists to treat each patient receiving radiation. |
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