‘What is Radiation Therapy?’

What is Radiation Therapy?

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Radiation therapy uses particles similar to those of X-rays, but of higher energy capable of penetrating into the body.

This technique for cancer treatment acts on the tumor, destroying the malignant cells and preventing them from growing and reproducing, but also destroys normal tissues temporarily, so that radiotherapy has side effects. The advantage is that healthy cells have greater capacity for regeneration than cancer, so the body recovers from the damage once it has managed to remove the tumor and treatment is completed.

Radiation therapy can be administered either as monotherapy or as adjunct to surgery or chemotherapy. When the previously radiated area affected by the tumor, its size is reduced further by facilitating the surgeon’s intervention. In the event that received radiation after undergoing surgery, the goal is to destroy cells that have been left after excision.

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