What is Radiation Therapy?

Radaition therapy beams X-rays or other high energy electrons with pin-point accuracy at cancer cells, shrinking or even destroying them. This therapy can be used before or after surgery. It can be teamed with chemotherapy to treat cancer. Often, radiation alone can destroy a cancer. How radiation therapy is used depends on each patient's exact needs.

Each patient's treatment plan is carefully designed by the radiation oncologist who is supported by the medical physicist and the radiation therapist. It is rare that any two cases are exactly the same. External radiation treatment is painless and the number of treatments required does not necessarily indicate the seriousness of the tumor. Each session will take just a few minutes from your day.

Dr. Mishra and the staff keep a close eye on each patient's condition during the course of treatment. Some patients experience no side effects from radiation therapy, while others may see such side effects as appetite loss, fatigue, and/or skin irritation. There are ways of reducing any such discomfort. Usually patients can live a normal life with a minimum of disruption.

To ensure the accuracy of radiation therapy, X-rays, computers, and laser beams are used. The radiation beam is carefully focused on the diseased tissue so there is little or no damage to the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor.

All the machinery used in prroviding therapy at Orange County Radiation Oncology is among the best available anywhere in the world.

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