Forsyth Medical Center 
Cancer Treatments
Radiation Therapy
| When a patient needs radiation treatment they first go through a "simulation" process that involves the planning and placement of radiation fields on the body with an X-ray machine. |
The patient is measured and fitted for the actual treatment to ensure the radiation beams are accurately directed to the cancerous area. The physicists on staff use sophisticated equipment to plan the appropriate dosage of radiation. This computerized equipment uses both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional images of the cancer site to determine the appropriate treatment plan.
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Do you have questions about therapeutic radiology? Visit our Health Library for answers. |
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Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high energy X-rays to kill cancer cells and stop them from growing. The rays are directed at the body by a machine called a linear accelerator.
This external radiation treatment destroys the cancer cells so that they can not multiply or continue to grow. Like surgery, radiation therapy is local therapy; it affects cancer cells only in the treated area.
External radiation therapy is typically delivered in an outpatient setting, but it is available to in-patients as well.
