Radiation Oncology

Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy rays used to treat cancers. Radiation therapy can be given by several different methods but external beam therapy produced by a machine called a linear accelerator is the most common form of radiation treatment. Other terms used to describe external beam radiation therapy include radiotherapy, X-ray therapy, teletherapy or irradiation.

Radiation therapy is used very often in the treatment of cancer and about 50% of all cancer patients will receive radiation at some time during their cancer treatment. Radiation may be given in combination with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery. In some cases radiation is used alone as the only cancer treatment. Examples of cancers radiation can cure include: early stage Hodgkin's disease, certain cancers of breast, cervix, prostate, testes, thyroid and brain.

Often, when the cancer cannot be cured, radiation is given to help relieve distressing or painful symptoms caused by the cancer such as: pain caused by bone metastasis; difficulty breathing caused by tumors blocking the airway; or strokelike symptoms caused by tumors in the brain. Radiation can greatly improve a patient's quality of life. When radiation is given for the treatment of symptoms and not for cure; it is called palliative therapy.