X
Resources
Treatment Team
Survivorship
Treatment Types
What is Radiation Therapy
Cancer Type
Patient Education
Brachytherapy
External Beam Therapy
Geriatric Oncology
Immunotherapy
Radiopharmaceutical Therapy
Stereotactic Radiation Therapy
Palliative Care
Alternative Cancer Therapies
Additional Treatment Options
What To Expect
Safety
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
Bladder Cancer
Bone Metastases
Brain Metastases
Brain Tumors
Breast Cancer
Colon, Rectum And Anus Cancers
Gynecologic Cancers
Head And Neck Cancers
Lung Cancer
Lymphomas
Pediatric Cancers
Prostate Cancer
Sarcoma
Skin Cancer
Upper GI Cancers
Print
Videos
Podcasts
Ask a Radiation Oncologist
Upper GI Cancers
Treatment Types
Side Effects
Caring for Yourself
Resources
What to Expect
Videos
Patient Education
Print
Videos
Podcasts
Ask a Radiation Oncologist
Cancer Type
Bladder Cancer
Bone Metastases
Brain Metastases
Brain Tumors
Breast Cancer
Colon, Rectum And Anus Cancers
Gynecologic Cancers
Head And Neck Cancers
Lung Cancer
Lymphomas
Pediatric Cancers
Prostate Cancer
Sarcoma
Skin Cancer
Upper GI Cancers
What is Radiation Therapy
What To Expect
Safety
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
Treatment Types
Brachytherapy
External Beam Therapy
Geriatric Oncology
Immunotherapy
Radiopharmaceutical Therapy
Stereotactic Radiation Therapy
Palliative Care
Alternative Cancer Therapies
Additional Treatment Options
Bladder Cancer
Bone Metastases
Brain Metastases
Brain Tumors
Breast Cancer
Colon, Rectum and Anus Cancers
Gynecologic Cancers
Head and Neck Cancers
Lung Cancer
Lymphomas
Pediatric Cancers
Prostate Cancer
Sarcoma
Skin Cancer
Upper GI Cancers
x
FIND A RADIATION ONCOLOGIST
--- Choose a State ---
Alaska
Alabama
Arkansas
American Samoa
Arizona
Bajo Nuevo Bank
Baker Island
California
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Delaware
Florida
Federated States of Micronesia
Georgia
Guam
Hawaii
Howland Island
Iowa
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Jarvis Island
Johnston Atoll
Kingman Reef
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Maryland
Maine
Marshall Islands
Michigan
Midway Atoll
Minnesota
Missouri
Northern Mariana Islands
Mississippi
Montana
Navassa Island
North Carolina
North Dakota
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
Nevada
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Palmyra Atoll
Puerto Rico
Palau
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Serranilla Bank
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Virgin Islands
Vermont
Washington
Wake Island
Wisconsin
West Virginia
Wyoming
--- Choose a Specialty ---
Breast Cancer
Central Nervous System Tumors
Gastrointestinal Cancers
Genitourinary Cancers
Gynecological Cancers
Head and Neck Cancers
Lymphomas and Leukemias
Melanoma/Skin
Non-malignant Disease
Palliation
Pediatric Cancers
Radiation Biology
Radiation Physics
Sarcomas – Cutaneous Tumors
Thoracic Malignancies
CLOSE
Treatment Types
Home
/
Upper GI Cancers
/
Treatment Types
/
Understanding Radiation Therapy
Treatment Types
External Beam Radiation Therapy
Understanding Radiation Therapy
Side Effects
Caring for Yourself
Resources
What to Expect
Videos
Find A Radiation Oncologist
--- Choose a State ---
Alabama
Alaska
Alberta
American Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas
British Columbia
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Manitoba
Marshall Islands
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Brunswick
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Newfoundland
North Carolina
North Dakota
Northern Mariana Isl
Northwest Ter.
Not Available
Nova Scotia
Nunavut
Ohio
Oklahoma
Ontario
Oregon
Palau Island
Pennsylvania
Prince Edward Island
Puerto Rico
Quebec
Quebec
Quebec
Rhode Island
Saskatchewan
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
U.S. Territory Guam
U.S. Virgin Islands
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Yukon Territory
--- Choose A Specialty ---
Breast Cancer
Central Nervous System Tumors
Gastrointestinal Cancers
Genitourinary Cancers
Gynecological Cancers
Head and Neck Cancers
Lymphomas and Leukemias
Melanoma/Skin
Non-malignant Disease
Palliation
Pediatric Cancers
Radiation Biology
Radiation Physics
Sarcomas – Cutaneous Tumors
Thoracic Malignancies
Understanding Radiation Therapy
A
A
Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy, is the careful use of radiation to treat cancer safely and effectively.
Cancer doctors called radiation oncologists use radiation therapy to cure cancer, control cancer growth, or relieve symptoms such as pain or bleeding.
Radiation therapy works within cancer cells by damaging their ability to multiply. When these cells die, the body naturally eliminates them.
Healthy cells are also affected by radiation, but they can repair themselves in ways cancer cells cannot.