Radiation Therapy See our Listing of VICC radiation oncologists Radiation is an energy beam. Radiation therapy directed at a tumor works by killing cells or keeping them from growing and dividing. Radiation oncologists are physicians trained to plan and monitor radiation therapy. They use precise equipment to aim the radiation directly at the area of the body where there is cancer while protecting healthy tissues with specialized shielding.
Radiation therapy is used in many ways.
For some patients, radiation alone may cure their cancer. In other situations, physicians decide to use radiation with chemotherapy to treat certain kinds of cancer. Radiation may be used to shrink a tumor before it is surgically removed. After surgery, radiation may be used to stop the growth of any remaining cancer cells. Sometimes, radiation can be used to relieve pain, headaches, bleeding or other symptoms.