This guide is for you if you are receiving radiation therapy for cancer.
Radiation is a special kind of energy carried by waves or a stream of particles.
It can come from special machines or from radioactive substances. Special equipment is used to aim the radiation at tumors or areas of the body where there is disease. Radiation causes a break in one or both strands of the DNA molecules found inside the cell. As a result, the cell can no longer grow and divide. Radiation can also damage the DNA of normal cells found in the vicinity of the cancer being treated.