What Is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation kills cancer cells. It does so by directing strong x-rays at the tumor. The tumor cells then slowly die over the treatment. The treatment is often given daily over several weeks. Sometimes radiation is given with a little bit of chemotherapy that is designed to make the radiation work better. This is called chemoradiation. If you receive radiation therapy you will work with a radiation team. The team includes:
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Radiation oncologist. This doctor has specific training in this area. The doctor will prescribe your treatment plan. That includes:
- what kind of radiation is needed
- what part of the body will be treated
- how much radiation to give at each treatment
- how long the treatment should be given
- Radiation nurse. The nurse will educate you about the treatment. The nurse will also help you learn how to manage any unpleasant side effects. The nurse is the one who coordinates your care.
- Radiation physicist. The physicist works with the radiation oncologist. His or her job is to make sure the correct dose of radiation is given to the right area.
- Dosimetrist. This person calculates the amount of radiation to be directed at the tumor. He or she also helps develop the treatment plans.
- Radiation therapist. The therapist operates the radiation equipment. The therapist is the one who treats you according to the oncologist’s prescription.
There are four main ways radiation is used:
- It can be the main treatment to cure the tumor.
- It can be combined with surgery or chemotherapy.
- It can be used to prevent recurrence.
- It can be used as a palliative treatment. It can be used that way for both defined tumors and tumors that have spread.
Treatment uses ionizing radiation to kill cancer. The energy is about a thousand times greater than what the body sees from a diagnostic x-ray. That’s because the radiation dose is so concentrated. The short wavelength energy damages multiplying cells. It can also penetrate deeply into the body to reach the tumor.