Sierra Lee

ISM- Period 1
"Lung Cancer." Lung Cancer. American Cancer Society, 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

Three types of lung cancer based on cells affected

X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans used for imaging diagnoses

These include non-small cell, small cell and lung carcinoid tumors
Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type

Symptoms include cough, chest pain, hoarseness, weight loss, appetite loss, coughing up
blood, shortness of breath, feeling weak or tired, frequent infections such as pneumonia,
and wheezing
Found usually because of symptoms/issues rather than routine screenings
Other methods include bronchoscopy, needle biopsy, sputum cytology, and thoracentesis
Staging done with T, N and M
T is the size of the tumor
M is the spread to nodes
N is the spread to other organs

Rates of survival by stage: IA = 49%, IB = 45%, IIA = 30%, IIB = 31%, IIIA = 14%, IIIB
= 5%, and IV = 1%
Treated by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery
This article was a general overview of characteristics of the different types of lung cancers,
which included symptoms, diagnosis, staging, prognosis, and treatment, as well as many other
facts for patients and their families.

Sierra Lee
ISM- Period 1
Kelada, Olivia J. "Literature Review." Advantages and Disadvantages of Charged Particle
Therapy. Particle Therapy Cancer Research Institute, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

Charged particle radiation is different than X-ray beams

Megavoltage also separate category
Charged particles include protons and carbon ions
They generally have a larger mas and give a better dose to tissue and not the surrounding,
healthy tissue
Bragg peak of charge particles looks different (tested in water)
In megavoltage the dose increases steadily
Photons have a lower risk of presenting carcinogens to the body due to a lower target
conformity
Proton have advantageous isotopes
Protons have a better dose distribution than IMRT radiation due to less entrance and exit
doses
The effect on heterogeneous tissue in terms of dose distribution is easier to predict with
photon radiation
Protons are less suitable for deep treatments
IMRT effectively is able to use a moderation of fluence

This article was a study regarding various charged particle and megavoltage radiation types, in
which the benefits and drawbacks of each kind were seen, explained and analyzed so as to be
able to explain the most beneficial choice for treating certain cases.

Sierra Lee
ISM- Period 1
"Breast Cancer." Breast Cancer. American Cancer Society, 2015. Web. 05 Nov. 2015

Breast cancer has 3 main types

Ductal-carcinoma is pre-cancer
Invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma are the other types, with the
latter being the most common
The most common symptom is a new lump or mass in the breast

Other symptoms include swelling skin irritation, pain, nipple retraction, redness and/or
nipple discharge
Diagnoses are done by screening mammograms

Other methods are biopsies, ultrasounds, and MRIs

Staging done with TNM systems, as are most cancers
T- X, 0, is, 1, 2, 3, 4
M- X, 0(1+), 1
N- X, 0, 1, 2, 3 (all of which has subcategories)
Prognosis- done in 5 year survival rates

By stages: Stage 1 is 100%, stage 1 is 100%, stage 2 is 93%, stage 3 is 72%, and stage 4
is 22%
Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone, targeted and bonedirected therapies

This articles was a series of pages giving an overview of all of the aspects of breast cancer from
the symptoms of it to the treatment and prognosis.

Sierra Lee
ISM- Period 1

"External Beam Radiation." External Beam Radiation. American Cancer Society, 2015. Web. 05
Nov. 2015.

Photon radiation is the most common form of external beam radiation

It comes from a radioactive source or a nuclear accelerator
Affects cells along a path and then exits the body
Particle beam radiation includes electron, protons, neutrons, and others
Electrons have relatively low energy so therefore so not penetrate deep
They are also negatively charged
Protons are positively charged
The release their energy after traveling a certain distance
Along the way to that spot, very little damage is done
It is currently not widely available
Neutrons have no charge
They are often used as a last resort
They can be rare because it is hard to target the beams
They damage DNA more than protons would so the effects on tissues are far more severe
than using protons.
Carbon ions are very rare and have extremely severe effects
Alpha and beta particles are usually used as radiopharmaceuticals

This article was a good overview on all of the different general types of radiation used when
treating cancer and characteristics of each one that may make it more suitable for a certain
situation over another.

Sierra Lee
ISM- Period 1

Purdy, James A. "Chapters 1-3." 3-D Conformal and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy:
Physics & Clinical Applications. Madison, WI: Advanced Medical Pub., 2001. N. pag.
Print.

IMRT is intensity modulated radiation therapy

3D radiation takes less time than IMRT
Longer treatments mean higher costs for the patient
3D CRT provides a high dose region conformed to the target volume
It emphasizes image based simulation
Requires immobilizing devices
Utilizes interactive planning
IMRT uses inverse planning
It divides a dose into smaller beams, each of which can be altered
More fields require lower energy accelerators used in implementation
VMAT is volumetric arc therapy
Allows for 360 degree rotation of gantry to deliver to the dose to the patient in one
complete circle
It needs an advanced linear accelerator
Has a fast treatment time

This textbook had very complex explanations of various photon radiations, but the first few
chapters served to gives a helpful comparison and contrast of them, especially 3D and IMRT.