Eli5 How does radiation therapy actually work? Like how doesnt it break down more of the body and make the cancer worse or something like that? And does it target only cancer area or everything?
In: 630
Radiation gets absorbed by tissue, but the amount of energy absorbed is uneven. Most of the energy released by radiation and absorbed by the body is focused in a very specific point. There is barely any damage before that point and the ray doesn’t go past it, so there is no damage after. By adjusting the distance the radiation travels and the direction it comes from, they can specifically target very small areas and destroy cells there. There is some damage to other tissue as well, but I’ve heard from patients that it’s just like a sunburn.
If you imagine a strong laser, the point where it gets absorbed is the surface of the skin, so it burns there. Targeted radiation therapy works in a similar way, the main difference is that it passes through some of the body before it releases its energy, so it can burn inside without much damage on the way
Latest Answers