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Does Radiotherapy kill all the cancer cells

User
Posted 09 Jan 2023 at 23:36

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Short answer: Yes it does, but it take longer than you think.

Long answer: 

https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/posts/t23233-Brachytherapy---Radiation-buildup

So successful RT is that which has damaged every cancer cell sufficiently that it can't reproduce, and hasn't damaged healthy cells so much that you have severe side effects. 

I would also argue that if RT left some viable cancer cells behind, but it took longer for them to regenerate to a troublesome level, than for you to die of some other cause, then it is still successful RT.

Dave, 

Whilst I agree with you about the way cancer cells may be affected over time by RT and said so in my original reply, your categorical  answer 'Yes' to the question 'Does Radiation kill all cancer cells' is incorrect.  As I said 'Not necessarily' is the case.  In order to sufficiently damage cancer cells they require sufficient dose of RT so are repeatedly subjected to repeat fractions of External Beam or the continuous radiation of radioactive seeds with this form of Brachytherapy RT.  Certainly, with External Beam, previous studies have shown that results are more successful in killing cancer cells as more radiation is given, (although hypofractionation has enabled fewer fractions of higher dose enabling comparable results with overall fewer Gys).  Unfortunately, as more radiation is given, side effects increase, so there is a limit to how how much radiation is given.  Also, it is known that some types of cancer cells are more radio resistant than others.   From Cancer Research UK "Cancer may sometimes come back after cancer drug treatment or radiotherapy. This can happen because the treatment didn't destroy all the cancer cells."  and 

"if radiotherapy doesn't kill all of the cancer cells, they will regrow at some point in the future."

There are numerous reliable references made to RT failing to kill all targeted cancer cells, even in the longer term. 

 

 

Edited by moderator 06 Jul 2023 at 13:25  | Reason: Not specified

Barry
 
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