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MEDICAL APPLICATION OF X-RAY IN OUR SOCIETY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE IN TREATMENT OF CANCER

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Abstract

X-ray is one of the strongest radiation therapy that uses high energy shrink tumors and kill cancerous cell. The hard x-rays isotopes has sealed tiny pellets placed in patients body which when decayed naturally gives off radiation that damage the nearby cancer cell and the DNA of the molecules inside cells that carry genetic information. This research which is based on the medical application of x-ray and treatment of cancer is very educative and will go a long way in educating the students that will go into medical field after their graduation.

• INTRODUCTION

X-rays are a form of high frequency, high energy electromagnetic radiation which since their discovery in 1895, have been used increasingly in medicine both for diagnosis and treatment (Bruland, 2007).  Wavelength for x-rays is from about 10-8m to about 10-11m or from less than a billionth of an inch to less than a trillionth of an inch.  The corresponding frequency range is from about 3x1016HZ to about 3x1019HZ. (1HZ = ICPS).  X-rays can be used to produce images of bones, organs and internal tissues.  Low doses of x-rays are passed through the tissue and cast images-essentially shadows on to film or onto a florescent screen (Lam, 2007).

x-rays have the potential to damage living cells, especially those that are dividing rapidly.  Because cancer cells divide rapidly, high doses of x-rays are used for treating cancer.  Each of the body’s tissues absorbs x-rays in a predictable way.  Bones, which are dense and contain calcium absorbs x-rays well (Connell, 2009).

In contrast, soft tissues – skin, fat tissue, blood and muscle, absorb x-rays to a lesser extent.  Thus when an arm is placed in the path of an x-ray beam, the x-rays pass readily through the soft tissues but penetrate the bones much less easily.  As a result, the arm casts a shadow on to film or on a fluorescent screen with the bone appearing white and the tissues dark gray.

(Veldeman 2008) says that hollow or fluid filled parts of the body often do not show up well on x-ray film unless they first have a contrast medium introduce into them.  X-rays can be used to obtain an image of “slice”.  Through an organ or part of the body by a technique known as tomography.  More detailed and accurate images of a body slice are produced by combining tomography with the capabilities of a computer to give computed tomography scanning (CT or CAT scanning).

 

• PRODUCTION OF MEDICAL X-RAY

X-rays are produced in a highly evacuated glass bulb called an x-ray tube that contains essentially two electrodes-an anode made of platinum, tungsten or another heavy metal of high melting point and a cathode.  The fast moving electrons is allowed to bombard metals, the fast moving electrons knock electrons out of the inner shells of the metal atoms.  The dislodged electrons are replaced by electrons moving in from the outer shells.  Thus movement of electron is accompanied by the omission of x-ray (Ababio, 2003).

X-rays can penetrate easily through most solid substances which are opaque to visible light such as metal foils, flesh, wood and paper.

When electron hits the target, x-rays are created by two different atomic processes:

• X-ray fluorescence: (Ababio, 2003) says that if the electron has enough energy it can knock an orbital electron out of the inner electron shell of a metal atom, and as a result electrons from higher energy levels then fill up the vacancy and x-ray photons are emitted. This process produce an emission spectrum of x-rays at a few discrete frequencies sometimes referred to as the spectral lines.
• Bremsstrahlung: (Lam, 2007) portraits that it is a radiation given off by the electrons as they are scattered by the strong electric field near the high – Z (photon number) nuclei. These x-rays have a continuous spectrum.  The intensity of the x-rays increases linearly with decreasing frequency from zero at the energy incident electrons.