Radiation Therapy: Its Role & Process

Radiation treatment is often compared to chemotherapy. They are similar in their intent to kill cancer. They are, however, very dissimilar in their mechanism of action and the resultant effects and side effects. "A misconception we see on a daily basis is the assumption by radiation therapy patients that they will suffer certain side effects associated with chemotherapy," notes Dr. Steve Bass. "More often than not, this is incorrect."

Dr. Bass further explains that there is one very simple, unchanging rule to follow in gauging and understanding the side effects of radiation treatment -- the tissues that are exposed to radiation can be affected by radiation treatment, while those that are not exposed to the beam cannot. In other words, if a person’s left hand was treated with radiation, there is no possible way his right hand could be affected.

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