Cancer Library
Radiation Therapy
Radiation is one of the most common and effective ways to treat cancer. Here's how it works, why it may be part of your plan and how it fits with your other treatments.
How it works
Stopping cancer cells from growing
Radiation damages the DNA inside cancer cells, so they can no longer divide and grow. Over time, those cells die and the cancer shrinks. The goal is to destroy enough cancer cells to give you the best chance of a cure, while keeping side effects as low as possible.
A focused treatment
Aimed exactly where it's needed
Radiation is usually given as high-energy beams directed at the area where cancer cells are found, called the radiation field. Unlike chemotherapy, which travels through the whole body, radiation is a local treatment. It treats only the area it reaches, which is why it's often paired with other treatments when cancer may be present elsewhere.
Goals of treatment
Why Radiation May be Recommended
Your treatment depends on the type of cancer, its stage and the goal of your care. Radiation can play a different role for each patient.
To treat the cancer
Radiation can be used to destroy cancer cells in a specific area, with the goal of a cure.
Alongside other treatments
It's often combined with surgery or chemotherapy, given at the same time or one after the other.
To ease symptoms
When a cure isn't the goal, radiation can relieve pain and other symptoms to help you feel more comfortable. This is called palliative care.
Your treatment plan
Part of a Complete Plan
Many patients benefit from more than one type of treatment, either together or in sequence. This is called multi-modality treatment, and it's becoming more and more common.
For most newly diagnosed patients, the best plan combines standard therapies proven through years of medical research. For others, the most promising option may still be under study and available only through a clinical trial.
Learn about clinical trials- 01
Surgery
Removes the tumor and nearby tissue.
- 02
Chemotherapy
Medicines that travel through the body to destroy cancer cells.
- 03
Biological therapy
Treatments that help your body's own systems fight cancer.
- 04
Radiation therapy
High-energy beams that treat cancer in a specific area.
Care built around you
Guided By People Who Know You
No two patients are the same, and neither are their plans. Your PCC team takes the time to explain every option, answer your questions and help you understand how each treatment fits together, so you never face a decision alone.