Advantages
Radiation therapy of cancers is based upon the biological response of cells to ionizing radiation. Tumor cells typically lack effective repair mechanisms, so if radiation is delivered in small sessions, a process known as fractionation, normal tissue will have time to repair itself. This repair of normal tissue means that there is a therapeutic ratio between cancer cells and normal cells.
In addition, different types of ionizing radiation will produce different effects upon cells. A comparison of neutrons with gamma radiation illustrates the differences. Both neutrons and gamma-rays are uncharged; for this reason they are referred to as indirectly ionizing radiation. The biological effect of neutrons or gamma-rays is due almost completely to the secondary electrons that they produce when they interact with a patient's tissue.
Read more about this topic: Fast Neutron Therapy
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