A treatment approach that uses ionizing radiation to destroy malignancies.
Radiation therapy is used to fight many types of cancer .
Often it is used to shrink the tumor which is then removed during surgery. It may also be used to provide temporary relief of symptoms, or to treat malignancies that are not accessible to surgery. Cancer cells usually multiply faster than most body tissues. This is advantageous for treatment, and tumors that are fast growing often respond well to radiation therapy. Unfortunately, rapidly dividing body tissues are also disabled by this process.