Radium vs Radiotherapy

[Firiffic]

Can someone give me a website that explains the difference between them if there is one? My best friend's father is dying and these have been mooted to reduce the size of a tumour to increase comfort in his last weeks but they are unsure of the difference.

[morg_monster]

Radium is a radioactive metal, and always used to be used as the source of radiation in radiotherapy.  For this reason, some people still call radiotherapy 'radium therapy'. 

My instinct is then that the doctors are in fact referring to the same treatment with two different names - rather confusing!  But to be sure your friend should just clarify it with them.

[spunkypumpkn]

morg-monsters answer is correct.

Radiotherapy  refers to the name of the treatment, although some people continue to refer to it as radium therapy. Radium however is the radioactive metal which omits high energy rays... (radiation).

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/utilities/glossary/?letter=R&a=5441

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerandresearch/learnaboutcancer/treatment/radiotherapy/

These web pages will fill  you in.

[spunkypumpkn]

'Radiotherapy' refers to the name of the actual treatment. 'Radium' is a radioactive metal which omits high energy rays.... (radiation).

The doctors in this case are referring to the same thing, as the two terms are commonly interchanged.

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerandresearch/learnaboutcancer/treatment/radiotherapy/

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/utilities/glossary/?letter=R&a=5441

These web pages should fill you in.

[Impret-Sir]

In fact, although the above definitions of Radium are correct, it is possible to actually implant a tiny bead of Radium into a prostate, (or the uterus) and leave it there, where it emits radiation continually, as part of the treatment. This is not the same as Radiotherapy at all, which is done with a big machine in an X-ray department, as has been previously described.

[Firiffic]

Thanks for the help all.  I was actually assuming the same as Impret-Sir and that they were in fact planning to implant a radium "seed" as I have heard it referred to.