Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, but protons or other types of energy also can be used.
For some cancers, radiation therapy is the first line of defense and for other types, it is used in support of surgery, chemotherapy, or other treatments.
How radiation therapy is used in people with cancer:
- As the only (primary) treatment for cancer
- Before surgery, to shrink a cancerous tumor (neoadjuvant therapy)
- After surgery, to stop the growth of any remaining cancer cells (adjuvant therapy)
- In combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, to destroy cancer cells.
- In advanced cancer to alleviate symptoms caused by the cancer
- Partial breast radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer
- Prostate cancer treatment
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy