More information about radiation therapy
To learn more about how radiation is used to treat cancer, see Radiation Therapy.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells.
Radiation is not always needed to treat leukemia, but it can be used in certain situations:
Before treatment starts, the radiation team will take careful body measurements to determine the correct angles for aiming the radiation beams and the proper dose of radiation. This planning session, called simulation, usually includes getting imaging tests such as CT or MRI scans.
The treatment itself is much like getting an x-ray, but the radiation is much stronger. It is painless, but some younger children may need to be sedated to make sure they don’t move during the treatment. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes, although the setup time – getting your child into place for treatment – usually takes longer.
The possible short-term side effects depend on where the radiation is aimed, and can include:
Longer-term side effects are also possible and are described in Living as a Childhood Leukemia Survivor.
To learn more about how radiation is used to treat cancer, see Radiation Therapy.
To learn about some of the side effects listed here and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Last Revised: February 12, 2019
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