Understanding Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy, is the careful use of radiation to safely and effectively treat many different kinds of tumors.

• Doctors called radiation oncologists use radiation therapy to try to kill tumors, to control tumor growth or to relieve symptoms.

• Radiation therapy works within tumor cells by damaging their ability to multiply. When these cells die, the body naturally eliminates them.

• Healthy cells near the tumor may be affected by radiation, but they are able to repair themselves in a way tumor cells cannot.