ABSTRACT
Cells are the basic units of human body; in a normal body, cells grow, divide to make new cells, and die in an orderly way. Cancer begins when genetic changes impair this orderly process and it is because of changes to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of a cell. In a normal cell, when DNA is damaged, the cell either repairs the damage or dies. When high-energy electrons pass through a target (e–γ target), it generates a cascade shower of bremsstrahlung radiation with continuous energy spectrum shows an end point equal to the electron kinetic energy. A study of bremsstrahlung spectra from 6–18 MeV electron beam on different e–γ targets were carried out using FLUKA simulation. In the late 19th century, Roentgen, Becquerel and Curie discovered the X-rays, natural radioactivity, and isolated radium, respectively. However, X-rays were immediately applied to diagnosis and therapy in medicine. These discoveries paved the ways for radiation therapy.
