How it Works External Radiation Treatment Planning Radiation Treatments Informed Consent Side Effects Radiation Oncology R adiation therapy is the use of high-energy rays used to treat cancers. Radiation therapy can be given by several different methods but external beam therapy produced by a machine called a linear accelerator is the most common form of radiation treatment. Other terms used to describe external beam radiation therapy include radiotherapy, X-ray therapy, teletherapy or irradiation. Radiation may be given in combination with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery. In some cases radiation is used alone as the only cancer treatment.
Radiation can greatly improve a patient's quality of life.