Basic Patient Treatment Information

Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy, is the use of various forms of radiation to safely and effectively treat cancer and other diseases. Doctors use radiation therapyin an effort to help cure various types of cancers, to help control the spread and growth of the cancer and/or to relieve symptoms, such as pain and discomfort.

Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA structure within the cells of the cancer and destroying the cancer cell's ability to regenerate. When these cells are damaged and die, the body naturally defence is to eliminates them. Normal cells can also affected by radiation, but they are able to repair themselves in ways that cancer cells are unable to.

While you undergoyour radiation therapy, a team of highly trained medical professionals will be working together to make sure you receive the best care possible. A radiation oncologist, a doctor who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer, will lead this team.