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Birth of Radiology and Radiotherapy
Wilhelm Rцntgen, discovered X-rays in 1895 accidentally while testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass. His cathode tube was covered in heavy black paper, he was surprised when an incandescent green light nevertheless escaped and projected onto a nearby fluorescent screen. He found that the mysterious light would pass through most substances but leave shadows of solid objects. Because he did not know what the rays were, he called them ‘X,’ meaning ‘unknown,’ rays -
starting to apply in the medical field
discovery of X-rays in 1895 by Wilhelm Röntgen, Emil Grubbe of Chicago was possibly the first American physician to use X-rays to treat cancer, by inserting radiation inside humans. (Brachytherapy) beginning in 1896. -
Gastric cancer treatment
Researchers had already discovered that X-rays could kill bacteria by 1896. The predominant theory at the time was that cancer was some kind of parasitic infection. Louis Charles Émile Lortet and Philibert Jean Victor Genoud tried to kill tuberculosis in infected guinea pigs using X-rays. Victor Despeignes was a pioneer in radiation oncology. He treated a patient with stomach cancer. He was also the first physician to publish a paper on radiation therapy, dealing with that case. -
Discovery of Radium
In 1898, Maria Sklodowska-Curie and her husband Pierre Curie discovered the existence of the elements radium and polonium in their research of pitchblende. Later in 1902, Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolate radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. -
Expansion of treatment field
Basal cell carcinoma is the commonest form of skin cancer . Early physicians noted that whereas complete removal of the tumour gave excellent results, incomplete removal was followed by
recurrences which in some cases were exceedingly difficult to treat. There is evidence that cautery, a contemporary method of treatment, has been used successfully . -
Palliative therapy
Palliative care is care given to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease, such as cancer. Palliative care is an approach to care that addresses the person as a whole, not just their disease.This therapy for painful cancers were begun in 1900 small scale -
Pharyngeal cancer treatment
By 1902, radium had been used successfully treat a pharyngeal carcinoma in Vienna. Later in 1904, patients in New York were undergoing implantation of radium tubes directly into tumors, representing some of the first interstitial brachytherapy treatments. -
Implanting Radium
Radium tubes were directly implanted into tumors . (Brachytherapy) -
Sterilization of testes
Sterilization of testes without damaging external skin and external beam radiotherapy (XRT) was found. -
shifting from Radium to XRT
shifting from Radium to XRT -
Technological improvement
Compact linear Accelerators were installed on ganrries capable of rotating 360 degrees around patients. -
Cobalt therapy
Production of teletherapy using Cobalt was started. cobalt therapy was expected to replace X-ray radiotherapy. -
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Starting of IMRT
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced type of radiation therapy used to treat cancer and noncancerous tumors. IMRT uses advanced technology to manipulate photon and proton beams of radiation to conform to the shape of a tumor. -
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development of treatment field
Use of Radiotherapy in treatment for 32.9% prostate cancers and 44.1% of lung cancers -
SBRT to prevent extracranial tumors
Stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT, is a cancer treatment that delivers extremely precise, very intense doses of radiation to cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. SBRT was used to treat extracranial tumors.
