Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, refers to the treatment of tumors using beams of high-dose radiation to kill or retard the growth of cancerous cells. Radiation therapy may cure patients with certain types of cancer, particularly in cases where the cancer has stayed in a localized area of the body and not spread to other organs. Radiotherapy is also commonly used to prevent tumors from regrowing after they have been surgically removed, and in conjunction with chemotherapy to provide a multifaceted attack on malignant cells.
Ionizing radiation is used to combat cancerous tumors because it damages the DNA of malignant cells—this mortally wounds the cells and prevents them from healing or reproducing. Since radiation also damages normal, healthy cells, the different types of radiation therapy have been designed to precisely target tumor areas and to minimize radiation exposure to other tissue in the body.
SERO doctors have specialized in all types of radiation therapy and received extensive training on specific technologies and techniques. Thanks to the versatility and effectiveness of ionizing radiation in treating cancer, many different types of radiation therapy have been developed over the last sixty years, including several over the last decade. Newer therapies utilize advances in technology—particularly in the fields of medical robotics and 3-D imaging—to deliver radiation with extreme precision.
Patients may undergo one type of radiation therapy or a combination of different types of radiation therapy, depending type of cancer and the size and location of tumors.
