deep x-ray therapy

deep x-ray therapy,

the treatment of internal neoplasms, such as Wilms' tumor of the kidney, Hodgkin's disease, and other cancers, with ionizing radiation from an external source. The dose delivered is determined according to the radiosensitivity, size, pathologic grade, and differentiation of the tumor; the tolerance of normal surrounding tissue to irradiation; and the patient's condition. Deep x-ray therapy frequently causes nausea, malaise, diarrhea, and skin reactions, such as blanching, erythema, itching, burning, oozing, or desquamation, but with modern techniques the ray is beamed directly to the site, reducing side scatter, and the skin can be spared. Because tumor cells are hypoxic and are more effectively eradicated when they are well oxygenated, the patient may breathe hyperbaric oxygen or atmospheric oxygen with 5% carbon dioxide during therapy.