Also called: radiotherapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. At low doses, radiation is used in x-rays to see inside your body, as with x-rays of your teeth or broken bones.
How radiation therapy works against cancer
At high doses, radiation therapy kills cancer cells or slows their growth by damaging their DNA. Cancer cells whose DNA is damaged beyond repair stop dividing or die. When the damaged cells die, they are broken down and removed by the body.
Radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells right away. It takes days or weeks of treatment before DNA is damaged enough for cancer cells to die. Then, cancer cells keep dying for weeks or months after radiation therapy ends.
Types of radiation therapy
There are two main types of radiation therapy, external beam and internal.
The type of radiation therapy that you may have depends on many factors, including:
- the type of cancer
- the size of the tumor
- the tumor’s location in the body
- how close the tumor is to normal tissues that are sensitive to radiation
- your general health and medical history
- whether you will have other types of cancer treatment
- other factors, such as your age and other medical conditions
Learn more about radiation therapy at the Radiation Oncology Center.
