Almost half of all people with cancer have
radiotherapy as part of their treatment plan. Radiotherapy is also sometimes used to treat
benign (non-cancerous) tumours and other
conditions, such as thyroid disease and some
blood disorders. This information focuses mainly on the use of
radiotherapy as a treatment for cancer. Why it's used
Radiotherapy can be used, alone or in
combination with chemothe
rapy
(chemoradiotherapy), to try to cure cancers. For people with incurable cancers, radiotherapy
is a very effective way of controlling symptoms. Radiotherapy can also be used before surgery to
shrink a tumour so it's easier to remove (known
as neoadjuvant treatment), or after surgery to
destroy small amounts of tumour that may be left
(known as adjuvant treatment). How it's carried out
Radiotherapy can be given in two different ways
– from outside the body (external radiotherapy)
or inside the body (internal radiotherapy). External radiotherapy usually involves using a
machine called a linear accelerator, which
focuses high-energy radiation beams onto the
area requiring treatment. External beam
radiotherapy is completely painless. External beam radiotherapy usually involves a
series of daily treatments over a number of days
or weeks. Internal radiotherapy can involve placing a small
piece of radioactive material temporarily inside
the body near the cancerous cells (known as
brachytherapy), or the use of a radioactive liquid
that's swallowed or injected. The radiation
emitted by internal radiotherapy is painless,
though the procedure to insert the source can
sometimes cause mild discomfort. The type of radiotherapy you have and the length
of treatment depends on the size and type of
cancer, and where it is in your body. Read more about how radiotherapy is performed . How it works
The high-energy radiation used during
radiotherapy permanently damages the DNA of
cancer cells, causing them to die. Nearby healthy tissues also suffer temporary cell
damage from radiation, but these cells are
usually able to repair the DNA damage and
continue growing normally. Side effects
The temporary DNA damage to normal tissues
causes side effects, most of which are short-
lived. Common side effects include sore skin, tiredness
and hair loss . These tend to get better within a
few days or weeks of treatment finishing. In rare cases, radiotherapy can
