| | | Radiation Therapy | External Beam Radiation Therapy is the most commonly used form of radiation treatment in which a machine called a linear accelerator directs high-energy radiation beams to the exact location of the cancer. Radiation therapy is used for treating certain malignant, as well as some nonmalignant, conditions. The high-energy x-rays kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
Although each patient's treatment course is different, most receive treatments five days a week for about six weeks with breaks on the weekends. The radiation oncologist, a specially trained physician, will decide the dosage, technique and type of radiation to be used for your treatment. Patients who receive external beam radiation therapy are not radioactive during or after treatment.
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