Radiation Oncology Center

Key Points about Radiation Oncology

• Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA.

• Radiation therapy can damage normal cells as well as cancer cells. Therefore, treatment must be carefully planned to minimize side effects.

• The radiation used for cancer treatment may come from a machine outside the body, or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near tumor cells or injected into the bloodstream.

• A patient may receive radiation therapy before, during, or after surgery, depending on the type of cancer being treated.

• Some patients receive radiation therapy alone, and some receive radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy.

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