Radiation therapy treats cancer by using high-energy rays to damage cancer cells, preventing them from growing and dividing, and ultimately leading to their death. This can be done externally with machines or internally with radioactive materials. Here is a more detailed explanation of how it works.
Damaging DNA:
Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA of cancer cells, which are known to grow and divide faster than normal cells.
Stopping Cell Growth:
When the DNA is damaged beyond repair, cancer cells stop dividing or die.
Types of Radiation:
- Ionizing radiation: This type of radiation is high-frequency and has enough energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule, including X-rays, gamma rays, protons, and neutrons.
- Non-ionizing radiation: This type of radiation is weaker and not strong enough to have the same effect on cancer cells, including UV rays and radio frequency energy.
Types of Radiation Therapy:
- External Beam Radiation Therapy: Uses a machine to direct radiation at the cancer from outside the body.
- Brachytherapy (Internal Radiation Therapy): Involves placing a radioactive source inside or near the tumor.
- Systemic Radiation Therapy: Uses radioactive liquids that travel through the blood to find and destroy cancer cells.
- Stereotactic Radiotherapy: Delivers high doses of radiation to tumors with great accuracy.
- Total Body Irradiation: Delivers radiation to the entire body.
Here at San Francisco CyberKnife, we treat cancer with External Beam Radiation Therapy, using the using the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System. CyberKnife is a painless, non-invasive, outpatient cancer treatment with minimal to no side effects. CyberKnife can deliver very high doses of radiation to cancerous and noncancerous tumors with extreme accuracy. The system allows physicians to zero in on the target tumor and irradiate it without harming the surrounding healthy tissue. As a result, the CyberKnife treatment is more comfortable for patients, radiation is delivered more accurately, and treatments can be completed in one to five sessions.
For more information on treating cancer with radiation therapy, please reach out and contact our center today.