The purpose of radiation therapy is to focus the radiation on cancerous cells and minimize damage to normal tissues. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays and/or electrons to destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells. About half of all people with cancer are treated with radiation therapy. It is used for many types of cancer, including (but not limited to) cancers of the head and neck, skin cancer, uterine and cervical cancer in women, prostate cancer in men, Hodgkin's disease, leukemia, breast cancer and lung cancer. For some cancer patients, radiation therapy is the only kind of treatment needed. Other patients receive radiation therapy along with chemotherapy and/or surgery.

Radiation therapy can help cure many different kinds of cancer. It can also be used as a palliative treatment to relieve cancer symptoms such as pain, pressure or bleeding when a cure isn't possible. Many patients find that the quality of their lives improves after palliative treatment with radiation therapy.

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