Radiation therapy is the use of penetrating beams of high-energy waves or streams of particles called radiation to treat disease. Radiation therapy destroys the ability of cancer cells to grow and divide.
Radiation may be recommended to treat kidney cancer if you are not a candidate for surgery. In general, kidney cancer is resistant to radiation treatments, but the therapy could be useful to treat pain that has spread to other parts of the body. The treatment may slow the growth of the disease but will not cure the cancer.
External radiation is used to treat kidney cancer. In external radiation therapy, rays are directed at the tumor from outside the body. Treatments are given at a hospital or radiation center, usually once a day, five days per week. The daily time spent receiving the external beam therapy is short.
American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp?level=0 .
Kidney Cancer Association website. Available at: http://www.kidneycancerassociation.org/ .
National Cancer Institute website. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/ .
Last reviewed September 2012 by Mohei Abouzied, MD
Last Updated: 09/30/2012
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