My friends and I did it together, we also looked over it with a science teacher with a degree in chemistry and she said it was worthy of a distinction. PS: Don't copy word for word ;)
PRINCIPLES AND EFFECTS OF RADIATION THERAPY
Radiaton therap羿y is therap羿y usin ioniiin radiaton, enerally as p羿art of cancer treatment to control
or kill tumour and cancer cells. The radiaton may be delivered by a machine outside the body
(external-beam radiaton therap羿y), or it may come f rom radioactve material p羿laced in the body near
cancer cells (internal radiaton therap羿y). Radiaton therap羿y is commonly ap羿p羿lied to the cancerous
tumour because of its ability to control cell rowth. Ioniiin radiaton works by dama in the DNA of
cancerous tssue leadin to cellular death. To sp羿are normal tssues (such as skin or or ans which
radiaton must p羿ass throu h to treat the tumour), shap羿ed radiaton beams are aimed f rom several
an les of exp羿osure to intersect at the tumour, p羿rovidin a much lar er absorbed dose there than in
the surroundin , healthy tssue.
Radiaton therap羿y dama es cancer cells but can also dama e healthy cells in the treatment area.
Dama e to healthy cells causes side efects. Side efects dep羿end on what p羿art of the body receives
radiaton therap羿y. Diferent cells and tssues in the body cop羿e diferently with radiaton. Rap羿idly
dividin cells are afected the most. These include skin cells, cells linin the mouth
and astrointestnal (GI) tract and blood cells in the bone marrow. Radiaton dama e can be directly
ioniiin ; however, in clinical therap羿y, dama e is most commonly indirectly ioniiin via f ree-radical
intermediaries f ormed f rom the radiolysis of cellular water. Radiaton can also afect the p羿rocesses
of the cell cycle necessary f or cell rowth.
Side efects can hap羿p羿en any tme durin , immediately afer or a f ew days or weeks afer radiaton
therap羿y. Most side efects enerally o away within a f ew weeks to 2 months of fnishin treatment.
But some side efects may contnue afer treatment is over because it takes tme f or healthy cells to
recover f rom the efects of radiaton therap羿y. Late side efects can hap羿p羿en months or years afer
treatment. If doses of radiaton are hi h enou h, some cells may not be able to rep羿air themselves. As
a result, some side efects may last a lon tme or be p羿ermanent.
In eneral, the side efects of radiaton therap羿y will dep羿end on:
the typ羿e of radiaton therap羿y
the p羿art of your body bein treated
the amount (dose) of radiaton and treatment schedule
your overall health
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