3 important aspects for radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is an important component of oncology treatment and contributes successfully to increasing patients’ life expectancy. Technologies have evolved much so that today it is possible to irradiate and treat tumors more accurately, with fewer side effects, and healing chances of over 90 percent. There are some important issues that radiation patients should be aware of regarding radiation doses, fertility preservation, and lifestyle. Prof. Dr. Ufuk Abacioglu, top expert in radiotherapy at ACIBADEM, has all the information.

1. Preserving fertility. This can be done in the case of young patients who go through radiotherapy and want to become parents later in life. “Patients with testicular cancers are sent before radiotherapy to the in vitro fertilization departments where they are consulted and evaluated, and then they can be recommended for sperm cryopreservation. It is also possible to preserve the women’s ovules. So young patients who want to have children later are offered options for cryopreservation of eggs and sperm, “recommends Dr. Ufuk Abacioglu.
2. Balanced lifestyle. Often, patients are tempted to resort to drastic diets or to exclude certain foods, but this is not encouraged by doctors. “We do not recommend slimming or fattening, or certain diets, just a balanced diet. The lifestyle of cancer patients is important, but it does not differ much from the healthy lifestyle recommended to everyone. There are even oncologists who promote some food restrictions, but we do not do that. We recommend balance. The human body needs carbohydrates, proteins. In their absence, some functions in the body may be affected. But neither the excess of sugar and meat is recommended. We also advise patients to avoid excess alcohol and quit smoking,” says Professor Ufuk Abacioglu, who has treated thousands of cancer patients by radiotherapy.
3. Radiation doses. Often, patients ask themselves if the radiation doses they receive can affect those close to their contact during therapy. “During treatment, patients receive radiation doses. But they do not carry radiation with them, as these are ionized radiation. Patients do not become radioactive, because we do not insert radioactive materials into patients when we irradiate them during treatments, “explains Professor Ufuk Abacioglu.