Radiology and Oncology

Radiation Therapy Accidents

Radiation accidents involve medical uses have accounted for more acute radiation deaths than any other source. Radiation accidents take place due to lack of alertness and Awareness, lack of procedures and checks, lack of qualified and well-trained staff. Prevention of accidents in radiotherapy involves applying several layers of preventive actions, addressing this issue at several levels like Application of safety-technology and procedures.

Radiation therapy is applied to the cancer tumor because of its ability to control cell growth. Ionizing radiation works by damaging the DNA of cancerous tissue leading to cellular death. To spare normal tissues (such as skin or organs which radiation must pass through to treat the tumor), shaped radiation beams are aimed from several angles of exposure to intersect at the tumor, providing a much larger absorbed dose there than in the surrounding, healthy tissue. Besides the tumor itself, the radiation fields may also include the draining lymph nodes if they are clinically or radio logically involved with tumor, or if there is thought to be a risk of subclinical malignant spread. It is necessary to include a margin of normal tissue around the tumor to allow for uncertainties in daily set-up and internal tumor motion. These uncertainties can be caused by internal movement (for example, respiration and bladder filling) and movement of external skin marks relative to the tumor position.