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Cancer Treatment: Radiation

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Cancer Treatment: Radiation Side Effects from Radiation Treatment

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Treating Cancer with Radiation Therapy

Radiation plays an important role in treating many types of cancers. It is also used to alleviate some of the symptoms of advanced cancer. There are several types of radiation. The use of radiation and which type varies by cancer, and situation.

This section covers the following topics:

Goals of radiation	Radiation indications
Types of radiation	More resources

Goals of radiation therapy

The goals of radiation for treatment include the following:

For cancer, adjuvent radiation is given after surgery to remove the tumor. radiation is used to destroy any undetected cancer cells that may still remain in the surrounding area after the cancer has been removed.
For cancer, radiation may be used to shrink tumors, reduce pain and other symptoms and decrease further spread of the cancer.

Types of radiation therapy

External-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) uses a machine that aims radiation beams at the tumor to kill cancer cells. This treatment can be used to treat localized cancers or help relieve symptoms if the cancer has spread. Before treatment, the radiation oncologist maps out the areas of the body where the radiation will be focused. Before radiation treatment begins, the area being treated may be marked with tiny tattoos to help guide where the machine will focus the beam. External-beam radiation is used to treat a variety of cancer types.
Brachytherapy is a type of internal radiation. It involves surgery to implant radioactive seeds to kill the cancer. Brachytherapy is used most frequently to treat and breast cancer after surgery. Because the radioactive material is implanted in their body, people undergoing brachytherapy, must take special precautions to minimize exposing other people to radiation.
Radioligands are a type of targeted radiation that are injected directly into the body. These drugs are made up of two components: 1) a targeting agent that can find and attach to cancer cells and 2) a radioactive chemical that kills cancer cells once they are exposed. Currently, radioligand therapies have only been approved for use in cancer and a type of blood cancer known as .

You can read more about the role of radiation for different cancers in our section on Treatment by Cancer Type. Like all cancer treatments, radiation can have side effects. Visit our section on Side Effects for more information.

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How is radiation therapy used to treat cancer?

The table below lists the different types of radiation therapy and how they are used for treating cancer.

Type of Radiation	Type of Cancer	Indications for Treatment
External beam radiation	Breast cancer	Used in early breast cancer to treat the breast and surrounding tissue after surgery to prevent recurrence. Used to treat metastatic breast cancer which has spread to their bones, brain or other sites to reduce the size of the tumor and manage pain or other symptoms.
Brachytherapy	Breast cancer	Used for early stage breast cancer. Radioactive seeds are placed at the site of surgery or in the surgical cavity.
External beam radiation	Colorectal cancer	Used before surgery (used with chemotherapy) to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove with surgery. This type of therapy is called chemoradiation. Used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells that may have been left behind after surgery. Used for people not healthy enough for chemotherapy to help keep the tumor from growing Used for people with advanced cancer to help ease symptoms and keep the tumor from growing
Brachytherapy	Rectal cancer	Used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells that may have been left behind after surgery. Used for people not healthy enough for surgery to help keep the tumor from growing.
External beam radiation	Endometrial cancer	Used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells that may have been left behind after surgery. Used for recurrent cancer in people not healthy enough for surgery to help keep the tumor from growing. Used with chemotherapy to treat large tumors in the uterus or cancer that has spread to other areas of the body. This type of treatment is called chemoradiation.
Brachytherapy	Endometrial cancer	Used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells that may have been left behind after surgery.
External beam radiation	Melanoma	Used for treatment in people with high-risk or advanced melanoma when surgery is not possible. Used for people with metastatic melanoma to help ease symptoms and keep the tumor from growing.
External beam radiation	Pancreatic cancer	Used before surgery to shrink borderline resectable tumors. Used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells that may have been left behind after surgery. Used for recurrent cancer in people not healthy enough for surgery to help keep the tumor from growing. Used with chemotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer that has spread beyond the pancreas and cannot be removed by surgery. This type of treatment is called chemoradiation. Used for people with advanced cancer to help ease symptoms and keep the tumor from growing.
External beam radiation	Prostate cancer	Used for localized prostate cancer after surgery to prevent the cancer from recurring. Used for people with metastatic cancer that has spread to the bone to help ease symptoms and keep the tumor from growing.
Brachytherapy	Prostate cancer	Used to treat early-stage prostate cancer.
Radioligand therapy	Prostate cancer	Xofigo (Radium 223 dichloride) is used for advanced prostate cancer that is resistant to testosterone-lowering treatments and has spread to the bones. It is given by intravenous (IV) injection. Pluvicto (Lutetium-177 vipivotide tetraxetan) is used for advanced prostate cancer that is resistant to testosterone-lowering treatments and has spread to the bones. It is given by intravenous (IV) injection. It binds to a molecule called Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) in order to target the radiation.

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Last updated January 31, 2025