What to Expect When Entering Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, often referred to as has manyadministered to image bones and teeth, and just like
uses. While it is useful for the treatment ofan x-ray of your arm or teeth, it is not painful.
non-malignant conditions such as thyroid eye disease,However, the concentration of x-rays is much higher
it is most commonly used as the result of a canceras its purpose is to kill living cells rather than just
diagnosis and as part of a treatment regiment toobtain an image.
control malignant tumors.At such high doses, the x-rays are capable of killing
When used to treat cancer, radiation therapy is oftennot just the cancerous cells, but health tissue as well.
administered in conjunction with surgery andRadiation therapy works, however, because healthy
chemotherapy. In operable cases, surgery may becells that are damaged are better able to recover
conducted to remove as much of the cancer aswhereas cancerous cells have a more difficult time.
possible, then treatment is followed up by radiationTo minimizedamage to healthy cells, the radiation is
therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. The same istargeted to the part of the body where the cancer
true of treatment in conjunction with chemotherapy.resides.
In some cases, a combination of all three treatmentsCommon side effects include fatigue, nausea,
will be used.decreased immune response, hair loss, and others.
To treat a person with radiation therapy, a doctorSide effects often result from the radiation of
known as a radiation oncologist directs high energyhealthy tissue. However, new technologies are
x-rays at the patient’s body in order to killincreasing the precision of radiation therapy, thereby
cancer cells and prevent their growth andreducing side effects and improving success rates.
proliferation. These x-rays are the same as those