Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionising radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). Radiotherapy may be used for curative or adjuvant cancer treatment. It is often used as a palliative treatment, where cure is not possible and the aim is for local disease control or symptomatic relief. Total body irradiation (TBI) is a special radiotherapy technique used to prepare the body to receive a bone marrow transplant. Radiotherapy has a few applications in non-malignant conditions, such as the treatment of severe thyroid eye disease, pterygium, prevention of keloid scar growth, and prevention of heterotopic bone formation. The use of radiotherapy in non-malignant conditions is limited partly by worries about the risk of radiation-induced cancers.