What is Radiation Therapy?
Category: Procedures
Most popular types: Total Skin Electron Beam Therapy (TSEBT) Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Intensity-Modulated Radiation Show all
Radiation therapy (also known as radiotherapy) utilizes energy waves or particles to help fight cancer and certain other non-cancerous diseases. Depending on the reason for use, radiation therapy may be used to cure disease, control disease progression, or for symptom relief.
| Purpose | Patients | Evaluations | Perceived Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breast cancer | 1956 | 59 | |
| Adenocarcinoma (non-small cell lung cancer) | 696 | 19 | |
| Non-small cell lung cancer | 444 | 11 | |
| Squamous cell carcinoma (non-small cell lung cancer) | 317 | 5 | |
| Small cell carcinoma (small cell lung cancer) | 204 | 4 | |
| Lung cancer | 189 | 2 |
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
Side effects
Side effects as an overall problem
| Severity | Evaluations | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 52 | |
| Moderate | 74 | |
| Mild | 61 | |
| None | 43 |
Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Radiation Therapy
| Side effect | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Fatigue | 38 | |
| Swallowing difficulty (dysphagia) | 16 | |
| Tiredness | 14 | |
| Nausea | 13 | |
| Radiation burn | 13 | |
| Burn | 12 |
What people switch to and from
Patients started having Radiation Therapy after stopping:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Atezolizumab (Tecentriq) | 1 |
Patients stopped having Radiation Therapy and switched to:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Durvalumab (Imfinzi) | 1 |
Last updated: