Radiotherapy is also known as radiation therapy that involves the use of high doses of radiation. This is a type of cancer treatment that aims to kill the tumor cells, shrink tumors or delay the growth. Radiation is also used in x-rays at low doses to see inside the bodyand get images of parts of the body. But at high doses, radiation can be used to eliminate cancer cells or slows their growth by damaging DNA in these cells.
As the DNA in cancer cells gets damaged beyond repair, they stop dividing and eventually die. Radiation therapy may not be able to kill cancer cells right away, and it may take days or weeks with multiple sessions of treatment before DNA is damaged enough for the tumor cells to die.
Radiation therapy can be the only treatment, but usually the doctor suggests a combination treatment with surgery or chemotherapy.