| There is no cure per se for cancer, but there are | | | | reeking havoc on the DNA of the cancer cells. If the |
| ways to successfully fight and provide cures in | | | | DNA is broken, the cell cannot reproduce and the |
| individual cases. A number of treatments are typically | | | | cancer is stopped in its tracks. In some cancers, the |
| used. In this article, we take a look at the commonly | | | | radiation is enough to not only stop expansion, but |
| used radiation therapy. | | | | destroy all the cancerous cells. |
| Radiation therapy is perhaps the most common form | | | | Is radiation therapy the same thing as |
| of cancer treatment. It is often referred to as the | | | | chemotherapy? The answer is no. Radiation therapy |
| bigger hammer treatment. The idea is to use energy | | | | is generally an external application focused on a |
| to destroy or damage cancer cells, particularly those | | | | specific part of the body, ie, the cancerous growths. |
| found in tumors. The energy is usually in the form of | | | | Chemotherapy is the ingestion of cancer fighting |
| gamma rays, x rays or protons. In theory, this will | | | | drugs that are absorbed throughout the body. The |
| either slow, stop or destroy the cancer. The key is | | | | confusion between the two often comes from the |
| understanding how cancer cells work. | | | | fact that there are limited radiation therapies that are |
| Cancer cells are mutations of normal, health cells. One | | | | undertaken by the ingestion of radioactive materials, |
| of the characteristics of the mutation is they grow | | | | but this is very rare. |
| and divide much faster than one finds with normal | | | | Does radiation therapy work? Yes and no. The |
| cells. The goal with radiation therapy is to attack this | | | | success rate depends on many factors including the |
| growth process. To do this, the cells are exposed to | | | | particular type of cancer being addressed. In most |
| high doses of radiation. The radiation varies by the | | | | cases, this treatment produces the most success |
| type of cancer, but is used with the intention of | | | | when combined with other cancer treatments. |