Radiation therapy is usually given 5 days a week for 6 or 7 weeks. When radiation is used for palliative therapy, the course of treatment lasts for 2 to 3 weeks. This schedule helps protect healthy body tissues by spreading out the total dose of radiation. Weekend rest breaks allow normal cells to recover. The total dose of radiation and the number of treatments needed will depend on the size and location of the cancer, the type of tumor, the general health of the patient, and any other treatments the patient is receiving.
Radiation therapy is an effective way to treat many kinds of cancer in almost any part of the body.
One-half of all cancer patients are treated with radiation, and the number of cancer patients who have been cured is increasing every day. For many patients, radiation is the only form of treatment necessary. Physicians can use radiation prior to surgery to shrink a tumor. Following surgery, radiation therapy may be utilized to stop the growth of any cancer cells that remain. In some cases doctors use radiation in conjunction with anticancer drugs to destroy the cancer, instead of surgery.