Radiotherapy: Where nuclear chemistry saves lives.

Radiation treatment refers to a type of cancer treatment in which high-doses of radiation are delivered to cancerous tumors in the body. The beams of radiation pass through the skin and other materials to target a specific location where a tumor is located. Radiation damages the DNA of the cancer cells, causing them to die. The process of receiving radiation treatment is painless, and side effects are often limited to the areas of the body around the tumors that receive the treatment. Other common side effects include fatigue and skin irritation. The following video explains all aspects of radiotherapy and outlines the major advantages as well as disadvantages of using this method to cure cancerous tumors.



How does radiation work to treat cancer?

1-Radiation is energy that’s carried by waves or a stream of particles. Radiation works by damaging the genes (DNA) in cells.

2-Genes control how cells grow and divide. When radiation damages the genes of cancer cells, they can’t grow and divide any more.

3-Over time, the cells die.

4-This means radiation can be used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors