What are the types of radiation therapy?
There are generally two types of radiation therapy: • External radiation (external beam therapy) – a treatment that precisely sends high levels of radiation directly to the cancer cells. The machine is controlled by the radiation therapist. Since radiation is used to kill cancer cells, special shields may be used to protect the tissue surrounding the treatment area. Radiation treatments are similar to getting X-rays – they are painless and usually last a few minutes. This type of radiation therapy may be given daily for several weeks. • Internal radiation (implant therapy) – a procedure that uses small, radioactive seeds (each about the size of a grain of rice) that are implanted directly into the cancerous prostate tumor. The implanted seeds may be left in permanently or may be only temporary. The seeds emit small amounts of radiation for a period of weeks or months.
