Why is radiation therapy used in treating cancer, when it can also cause cancer?

College Physics
1st Edition
ISBN:9781938168000
Author:Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs
Publisher:Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs
Chapter32: Medical Applications Of Nuclear Physics
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 10CQ: Radiotherapy is more likely to be used to treat cancer in elderly patients than in young ones....
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Why is radiation therapy used in treating cancer, when it can also cause cancer?
Transcribed Image Text:Why is radiation therapy used in treating cancer, when it can also cause cancer?
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Radiation causes cancer but the effect of radiation on a patient of cancer is different. Radiation has the capacity to change the DNA and it can change the genetic information. Cancer has the quality to multiply it’s cells and it increase the cancer cells in human body. With the help of radiations the tumor of cancer is bombard by radiation and these radiation cuts the link of multiplication of cells.

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