People are exposed to several forms of radiation every day, including ultraviolet radiation from the sun and radiation from cell phone towers. Upon exposure to high levels of radiation, energy absorbed by the cells of the body can lead to cellular changes, which can cause harmful effects such as sunburns and other radiation. But the controlled exposure of human cells to radiation can, in some cases, also have a number of positive effects.
Primary Cancer Treatment
One positive effect of radiation is as a curative cancer therapy. Radiation therapy is a common treatment for several forms of cancer and allows doctors to effectively damage and kill cancerous tumors. Patients may receive radiation treatment through external radiation beams or internal radiation, according to the National Cancer Institute. During external radiation, doctors aim a beam of radiation through the skin and into the cancerous tumor, promoting cancer cell damage and death. Over the course of several treatments, doctors may induce cancer remission as a result of radiation treatment. Internal radiation irradiates a tumor from the inside. Doctors deposit radioactive beads into the tumor, and the radiation released from the beads damages cells within the tumor. In some cases, the use of high doses of internal radiation can reduce the duration of radiation treatment while still effectively treating cancer.
Palliative Cancer Treatment
Radiation also has the positive effect of acting as palliative therapy for cancer. The American Society of Radiologic Technicians says that unlike primary cancer treatment, that aims to induce cancer remission, palliative therapy seeks to help increase a patient's quality of life. Many patients with advanced cancers experience significant and debilitating pain as a result of tumor growth. Doctors may perform radiation therapy to partially reduce the size of tumors, easing a patient's day-to-day pain. Alternatively, palliative radiation treatment may reduce tumor size and increase organ functioning, allowing a patient to live at home instead of in a hospital as her cancer progresses.
Diagnostic Imaging
Another positive effect of radiation is its role in diagnostic imaging. Through the use of radiation, doctors can perform medical imaging scans using low doses of radiation to observe tissues inside the body and look for the presence of injury or disease. Doctors use radiation for medical imaging procedures such as X-rays, and PET scans, and routinely perform radiation-based imaging tests such as mammograms. RadiologyInfo.org says that radiation in medical imagining plays a key role in diagnosing and monitoring diseases and can aid in performing medical procedures.
