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What is Radiation Oncology?

Radiation Oncology is the medical specialty that uses different forms of radiation to treat cancer. Many forms of radiation are available, and your treatment choices depend on the type of cancer and its location.

Cancers are growths or collections of abnormal cells. Many of these cancers are sensitive to radiation. Different cancers react different ways, so treatments vary for specific types of cancers.

Radiation affects both normal and cancerous cells. By using specific schedules for radiotherapy, cancer cells are killed but normal cells are allowed to recover. In addition, through careful treatment planning, we can direct radiation to the cancer while sparing most normal tissues. To do so, we may have to treat the cancer from both sides of your body or from several different angles. We may give treatments with more than one type of radiation. This may require using more than one machine.

Radiation therapy is one of four major treatments of choice for many cancers. It can be used alone or in combination with surgery, chemotherapy (drugs), or immunotherapy (strengthening the body’s own natural defenses).

When you receive radiotherapy from a machine, you will never be radioactive. If you are hospitalized for insertion of cesium or other nuclear medicines, you will be kept in a protected room until the sources are removed, or when you no longer pose a hazard to your family and friends.