Radiation Therapy Options

Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy, is the careful use of radiation to safely and effectively treat cancer. Radiation therapy works within cancer cells by damaging their ability to multiply. When these cells die, the body naturally eliminates them. Healthy cells are also affected by radiation, but they are able to repair themselves in a way cancer cells cannot.

• External beam radiation therapy is the main type of radiation used to treat bladder cancer, often in combination with chemotherapy. During this treatment, radiation is directed at the tumor from a machine similar to an X-ray machine.
• Internal radiation therapy, or brachytherapy, is occasionally used with external beam radiation therapy. Radioactive material is placed very close to the tumor through small tubes called catheters or with radioactive pellets.