Sometimes a doctor will recommend radiation therapy as a treatment for cancer.
Radiation therapy is also sometimes call radiotherapy.
This therapy is rarely used alone as a cancer treatment.
It is usually used in combination with other treatments like chemotherapy or surgery.
Almost everybody has had their teeth x-rayed or have had chest x-rays as part of normal dental and medical care.
Radiation therapy is based on the same technology, except that the x-rays are delivered at a much higher dosage that is used for regular medical and dental examinations.
At high doses, x-rays kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
It can be delivered to a cancer patient either externally or internally.
When radiation is delivered externally, a radiation beam is used.
When it is delivered internally, radioactive substances are implanted into the body.
Radiation therapy that is delivered internally is being used much more frequently today.
The type of therapy that is delivered internally is sometimes called brachytherapy.
In external radiation therapy, the two most common kinds of radiation used are x-rays and gamma rays.
There are very strict state and federal regulations that oversee the use and care of the equipment used, and the safety of the patient is the highest priority.
Internal therapy involved implanting radioactive substances like cesium, iridium, and iodine near or into cancer cells.
These substances can be delivered by injection directly into a body cavity or introduced by the patient swallowing a pill.
If you or a loved one is undergoing or about to undergo this type of cancer treatment, the best advice is to talk to the doctor rather than friends, neighbors, or relatives who once had radiation therapy.
Specialists can answer questions and provide current information that will help to alleviate much of the fear associated with this type of cancer treatment.