If radiation can cause cancer, why do doctors use radiation to treat cancer?

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If radiation can cause cancer, why do doctors use radiation to treat cancer?

In: Technology

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Same reason fire can cook food, but also destroy thousands of acres of property.

It’s all about control of the resources. Location and amount.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Physicians use very specific, well-directed bursts of radiation to damage and kill tumors. But general radiation that the body is exposed to leads to damage as well as increased numbers of mutations, which can lead to cancer.

There is some risk of cancer down the line with medical radiation. But for many people the benefits outweigh the risks

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s a difference of dosage. Much like anything in medicine, small quantities can be beneficial where a large quantity can kill you. Radiation therapy is in the same boat, low dose radiation can kill cancer cells where high doses of radiation can cause the cellular replication errors that cause cancer.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The types of radiation used in treating cancer are much more controlled than the general umbrella term of “radiation” connotes. Highly concentrated X-rays can stagnate growth of tumors and kill cancer cells without harming the good cells. Although radiation treatments do slightly increase the chance of a second cancer, that risk is relatively negligible. Here’s a [link](https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/radiation-therapy/understanding-radiation-therapy) to understand different types of radiation treatment and what they do.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Radiation damages DNA. This damage can cause cancers by slightly mutating the DNA of a specific cell so that it starts replicating out of control. On the other hand, if you massively overdose that same cell with radiation, it is more likely to die from having too much of its DNA damaged. If too much of its DNA is damaged it can’t actually replicate anymore.

Anonymous 0 Comments

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