To accurately target and eliminate tumors, radiotherapy uses radiation energy from artificially produced particles and radioactive elements. The term "radiation" often refers to "external beam" radiotherapy, which involves treating patients by beaming X-rays into their bodies. Linear accelerators are most frequently used to produce these X-rays (LINAC). Proton beam therapy, a more recent form of external beam radiotherapy that uses proton particles rather than X-rays and has begun to be used in the UK for patients with very certain cancers.
Types of radiotherapy
Side effects of radiotherapy