Principles of radiotherapy in urologic tumors

Abstract

Attempts at using radiation for treating human malignancies began soon after the discovery of x-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. Radiotherapy is a local treatment-modality in which ionizing radiation is delivered to areas either with gross tumor or with a high-risk of harboring microscopic disease. It is essentially noninvasive when delivered from an external source (teletherapy) or minimally invasive when using implanted radioactive sources (brachytherapy). Over the past century, advances in the understanding of the physics and biology of radiotherapy, as well as developments in imaging and radiation sources, have led to improved efficacy of radiation in controlling cancers while decreasing toxicity. Currently, radiotherapy plays a central role in the management of many genitourinary malignancies, for both definitive management of localized disease and palliation of metastatic disease.