It can cause tumors to shrink and even go away completely. Radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer and it is used in more than half of all cancer cases. Many people's cancer goes away after receiving radiation treatments. Radiation treatment destroys cancer cells, but it can also hurt normal cells. This causes side effects .
Many patients have no side effects at all, but some patients do.
Although unpleasant, most side effects from radiation are not serious and can be controlled. Other side effects happen to the treatment area. For example, after radiation treatment to the head, a kid might lose his hair . Side effects are why kids with cancer may be bald or lose weight. Side effects depend mostly on the amount of radiation and the part of the body that is treated.