What is Radiation Therapy?
Radiotherapy is the application of treatment using high-energy ionizing radiation to target malignant (cancerous) and certain benign (non-cancerous) tumors through specialized devices. Clinics where this treatment is administered according to proper medical principles are referred to as “Radiation Oncology Clinics.”
Approximately 70–80% of all cancer patients require radiotherapy at some point following diagnosis. Radiotherapy can be used as a primary (curative) treatment on its own, or it may be applied before or after other treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy (adjuvant/neoadjuvant) to enhance treatment success. It can also be administered concurrently with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapies.
In addition, radiotherapy is one of the most effective treatment methods used for relieving symptoms caused by cancer—such as pain, bleeding, or obstruction—with the aim of improving patient comfort and quality of life (palliative care).
Conditions Treated with Radiotherapy:
- Lung cancers
- Head and neck cancers (nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, nasal cavity and sinuses, oral cavity, salivary glands)
- Certain benign conditions (e.g., arteriovenous malformations [AVM], keloids)
- Skin cancers (squamous cell, basal cell, Merkel cell, melanoma)
- Endocrine tumors (thyroid, adrenal gland, pituitary gland)
- Gastrointestinal cancers (esophagus, stomach, pancreas, hepatobiliary tract, colon, rectum, anal canal)
- Genitourinary cancers (prostate, bladder, kidney, penis, testis, ureter)
- Gynecological cancers (cervix, endometrium, ovary, vagina, vulva)
- Bone and soft tissue cancers
- Lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma
- Breast cancers
- Central nervous system tumors (brain, spinal cord)
