When Beams Fight Cancer for Me When I first heard the words radiation therapy , I imagined something very scary. I thought it might be painful or dangerous. But after learning more about it, I realized that radiation therapy is one of the most common and helpful ways doctors treat cancer. Many people around the world receive this treatment every year. It helps destroy cancer cells and can also reduce pain caused by tumors. Understanding radiation therapy helped me feel calmer and more confident about cancer treatment. Let me explain what radiation therapy is and what patients should know about it. What Is Radiation Therapy? Radiation therapy is a medical treatment used to kill cancer cells. It uses high-energy rays to destroy or damage these unhealthy cells. Cancer cells grow and divide very quickly. Radiation damages the DNA inside these cells. When the DNA is damaged, cancer cells cannot grow or spread anymore. Over time, the damaged cancer cells die, and the body remov...