Cancer Council Australia

Radiation therapy can cure some localised cancers. It can be given alone or with other treatments such as chemotherapy or surgery to improve the cure rate. It can be given before surgery to shrink the cancer or after surgery to ensure that no cancer remains.

Most radiation therapy is delivered externally with machines that can focus the radiation to a specific area. However it can be administered internally with seeds or wires. An important use of radiation is also to relieve symptoms such as pain from bones to which cancers have spread, where even single doses can be very effective. The Cancer Council recognises radiation therapy as an effective cancer treatment and encourages the ongoing development of this innovative, world-class treatment.