Systemic Hemibody Irradiation is a medical term used to describe a radiotherapy procedure where one-half of the body is exposed to radiation. The word 'systemic' is pronounced as /sɪˈstɛm.ɪk/, meaning it affects the whole body, and 'hemibody' is pronounced as /hɛmɪˈbɒdɪ/, meaning half of the body. Irradiation is pronounced as /ɪˌreɪdɪˈeɪʃən/, meaning exposure to radiation. The phonetic transcriptions help in better understanding of the spelling and pronunciation of this complex medical term, which is used in treating various cancers.
Systemic Hemibody Irradiation (SHBI) is a medical procedure that involves the targeted exposure of half of the body to ionizing radiation. It is typically used as a method of palliative treatment in cases where cancer has spread to multiple locations throughout the body.
During systemic hemibody irradiation, high-energy X-ray or gamma ray beams are directed at the targeted side of the body in order to kill cancer cells and alleviate symptoms. This treatment approach aims to control disease progression and reduce pain by irradiating a large volume of cancerous tissue.
Systemic hemibody irradiation is performed under the supervision of a radiation oncologist and typically requires multiple high-dose treatments over a period of several days or weeks. The patient lies on a treatment table and the radiation beams are carefully directed to the specified side of the body. The radiation is delivered in a systematic pattern to ensure that the entire half of the body is adequately exposed.
This procedure may be recommended when cancer has metastasized, or spread, to multiple regions within the body, and traditional treatment methods such as surgery or radiotherapy are not considered feasible options. Systemic hemibody irradiation aims to provide relief from cancer-related symptoms by targeting a large portion of the body where the disease has spread and help improve the patient's quality of life.