Radiation Treatment

Beaming Hope for Life

A type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells, getting its power from X-rays or other types of energy.

Beaming Hope for Life

A type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells, getting its power from X-rays or other types of energy.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy most often gets its power from X-rays, but the power can also come from protons or other types of energy. About half of all people with cancer receive radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment. Doctors use radiation therapy to treat just about every type of cancer. Radiation therapy is also useful in treating some noncancerous (benign) tumours.

How many ways is radiation therapy used?

Radiation therapy may be suggested as an option at different times during the cancer treatment and for different reasons, including:

Primary or Secondary Option

As the only (primary) treatment for cancer, or in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells

After or Before Surgery

Before surgery, to shrink a cancerous tumor (neoadjuvant therapy), or after surgery, to stop the growth of any remaining cancer cells (adjuvant therapy)

Alleviate Cancer Symptoms

In advanced cancer to alleviate symptoms caused by the cancer

Improve Quality Of Life

Sometimes to improve the quality of life rather than to treat the cancer itself — i.e. to relieve pain caused by a tumour that’s pressing on a nerve or bone

How does radiation therapy work?

The term “radiation therapy” most often refers to external beam radiation therapy. During this type of radiation, the high-energy beams come from a machine aim at a precise point on your body. During a different type of radiation treatment called brachytherapy radiation is placed inside your body. Radiation therapy damages cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide.

What can you expect after radiation therapy?

If you’re receiving radiation to a tumor, you will be expected to follow up with your oncologist for close observation and have blood test. After completing your treatment, scans will be done to assess response. In some cases, your cancer may respond to treatment right away. In other cases, it may take weeks or months for your cancer to respond.

How does radiation therapy work?

The term “radiation therapy” most often refers to external beam radiation therapy. During this type of radiation, the high-energy beams come from a machine aim at a precise point on your body. During a different type of radiation treatment called brachytherapy radiation is placed inside your body. Radiation therapy damages cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide.

What can you expect after radiation therapy?

If you’re receiving radiation to a tumor, you will be expected to follow up with your oncologist for close observation and have blood test. After completing your treatment, scans will be done to assess response. In some cases, your cancer may respond to treatment right away. In other cases, it may take weeks or months for your cancer to respond.

Chemo-radiation

In many instances, chemotherapy medication may be administered in conjunction with radiation therapy to achieve heightened efficacy in the treatment of cancer. Chemotherapy medication may be give through intravenous infusion or oral tablets. This is usually given for the entire duration of radiation therapy. Chemo-radiation may be part of the main primary treatment for your cancer or used in conjunction with surgery or further chemotherapeutic treatments as part of multi-modality treatment.

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