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?

Question

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

Answer 1

There are a lot of different kinds of radiations therapies. Depending which cancer and where decides which to use. You have for surface cancers a linear accelerators which accelerate an electron or photon to damage the cancer cells. Alternative radioactive source are used to be inserted into the body near/in the cancer spots to radiate the cancer very locally. The sources are tiny and are not able to radiate deep into the tissue. But as you questioned also healthy tissue will be damaged. But healthy tissue can regrow and repair (if damage is not to extensive).