Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastases

What is radiation therapy?

• Radiation therapy is the use of various types of radiation to safely and effectively treat cancer and other diseases.
• Doctors called radiation oncologists use radiation therapy to kill tumors, to control tumor growth and to relieve symptoms.
• Radiation therapy works by damaging the genetic material or other critical components of cancer cells. This limits their ability to reproduce. Radiation can sometimes stop the blood supply to cancers, which also kills the cancer cells. When these cancer cells die, the body naturally eliminates them.
• After the radiation treatment ends, your body is still at work getting rid of the cells damaged by radiation. This is why it often takes a few weeks for you to have the full benefit of the treatment.
• Normal cells are also affected by radiation, but they are better able to repair the damage caused by radiation therapy than can most cancer cells.
• Treatments are noninvasive and painless, much like receiving an X-ray. You should be able to go home after treatment and will not need to stay in the clinic.