Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy or irradiation, is the use of various forms of radiation to safely and effectively treat cancer and other diseases. Radiation oncologists may use radiation therapy to try to cure cancer, to control the growth of the cancer or to relieve symptoms, such as pain.

Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA within cancer cells and destroying the ability of the cancer cells to reproduce. When these damaged cancer cells die, the body naturally eliminates them. Normal cells are also affected by radiation, but they are able to repair themselves from the radiation in a way that cancer cells cannot. Sometimes radiation therapy is the only treatment a patient needs, and other times it is only one part of a patient’s treatment. For example, some patients may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

The goal of radiation therapy may be to:

• Destroy tumours.
• Reduce the risk that the cancer will return after you have had surgery or chemotherapy by killing tiny cancer cells that may remain.
• Shrink tumours that are interfering with your quality of life. For example: tumours that are causing difficulty swallowing or are causing bleeding.
• Alleviate pain by reducing the size of your tumour.

It is important for you to discuss the goal of your treatment and the side effects of your treatment with your radiation oncologist.

Please Note: If there is any chance that you are / or can become pregnant during radiation, you must advise your radiation oncologist and the treatment team. Radiation can be extremely harmful to your unborn child and appropriate measures must be taken, etc.