The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.5 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the year 2011, and the disease will be responsible for about 500,000 deaths this year. Cancer occurs when the cells in your body divide too fast but do not die as fast. Your doctor might often prescribe several treatments such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery to control the growth of cancerous cells.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy involves the use of high-energy rays such as X-rays and gamma rays to kill the cancer cells by damaging their DNA. The radiation is delivered with a machine or by placing a radioactive material near the tumor cells. Radiation therapy may be given to cure the cancer or to manage the symptoms but it also destroys normal, healthy cells during the process. Your doctor will take this damage into account before deciding the dose of radiation.
Accelerated and Hyperfractionated Radiation Therapy
In hyperfractionated accelerated radiation therapy, or HART, multiple small doses of radiation are given each day to increase the daily dose without increasing the risk of long-term toxicity. The therapy can be given for one or two weeks followed by a period of rest to allow normal cells to recover. This, however, could cause the tumor cells to grow back. In such cases, a continuous, hyperfractionated and accelerated therapy might be given during which the small multiple doses are given consistently without a break. Your doctor might adjust the dose accordingly.
Evidence
Studies, such as one published in the June 2004 issue of the “Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology,” have revealed that HART may be more effective than conventional radiation therapy in treating cancers of the mouth and pharynx in Japanese patients. Another study in January 2006 issue of the journal “BMC Cancer” also points out that hyperfractionated therapy might be more effective and promote significant improvement in survival rates of head and neck cancer patients. However, accelerated therapy might not have any effect on the survival rates of the patients.
Side-effects
HART is well-tolerated by most patients with non-small cell lung cancer, although side-effects such as acute esophageal inflammation can occur, according to an October 1997 study published in the “International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics.” Dr. Thomas R. Van de Water, author of the book “Otolaryngology,” also points out that the side-effects were more severe in patients who received HART compared to the conventional therapy.
References
- American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2011
- Japanese Journal of Oncology; Hyperfractionated Radiation Therapy for Oropharyngeal Carcinoma in a Japanese Population; Yuzuru Niibe, et al.; June 2004
- BMC Cancer; A Meta-Analysis of Hyperfractionated and Accelerated Radiotherapy and Combined Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy Regimens in Unresected Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck; W Budach, et al.; January 2006
- Otolaryngology; Thomas R. Van de Water, et al.; 2007
- International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics; Hyperfractionated Accelerated Radiation Therapy ...; X. L.Fu, et al.; October 2007
