What Is Radiation Therapy?

Radiation therapy, along with chemotherapy and surgery, is one of the most powerful tools we use to treat cancer. Radiation therapy includes the most common type, external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), and internal radiation therapy. Your radiation oncologist can recommend radiotherapy tailored to your condition and the kind of cancer you have.

pediatrics
  • External beam radiation therapy (EBRT)
  • 3D conformal radiation therapy
  • Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
  • Arc-based radiotherapy
  • Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
  • Particle therapy
  • Stereotactic radiosurgery
  • Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)
  • Intraoperative radiation (IORT)
  • Brachytherapy
  • Systemic therapy
  • Brachytherapy
  • Medical Oncology
  • Cancer Diagnosis
  • Brain Tumor

What is radiation therapy (radiotherapy)?

Radiation therapy — or radiotherapy — is a common cancer treatment that uses radiation (usually high-powered X-rays) to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy may be used independently or alongside other treatments, like surgery or chemotherapy.

Radiation oncologists are healthcare providers who specialize in radiation therapy. Your radiation oncologist will determine whether radiation therapy would benefit you. If so, they’ll determine the best type of radiation therapy for the kind of cancer you have. They also design the radiation treatment plan with the radiation dosage that will destroy cancer cells without harming nearby healthy tissue.

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT)

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is the most common type of radiotherapy. With EBRT, a machine directs beams of high-energy radiation toward the tumor. The energy may be X-rays (most common), electrons or protons. Precision is vital with EBRT. Your radiation oncologist will design a treatment plan to target the tumor with radiation while avoiding your healthy tissue.

Internal radiation therapy

Internal radiation therapy places radiation inside of your body, close to cancer cells. It treats smaller tumors in your head, neck, breast, cervix, uterus or prostate.

Radiation Therapy