Radiation therapy is the use of x-rays or gamma rays to destroy cancer cells. It is a common cancer treatment. Almost half of all cancer patients will receive radiation therapy at some time during the course of their treatments. Radiation therapy is used either alone or in conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy. This kills the cell because it cannot grow and divide.
Radiation therapy is a local therapy used to treat a tumor in a specific area of the body.
There are two basic methods for the delivery of radiation therapy. The most common method is external radiation therapy. It is also called teletherapy and external beam therapy. This therapy is delivered by a large machine such as a linear accelerator. This machine creates a beam of radiation x-rays or electrons that travel an exact path to the tumor area.