This week's artwork was donated by Kate, a pediatric cancer patient who received treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . When used at high doses, radiation can destroy cells or keep them from growing or dividing. The use of high-energy rays or particles to treat disease is called radiation therapy. You may also hear it referred to as x-ray therapy, cobalt therapy, or irradiation.
Radiation therapy is an effective way to treat many kinds of cancer in almost any part of the body.
About half of all patients with cancer are treated with radiation. For some, radiation therapy is the only treatment necessary. For others, radiation therapy is combined with other treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy, to best treat their cancer. Radiation works best against cells that are growing and dividing. Because cancer cells grow and divide more rapidly than many of the normal cells around them, radiation therapy is a useful tool in treating cancer.