Is Radiation Therapy Safe?

Some patients worry about the safety of radiation therapy. Radiation has been used successfully to treat patients for more than 100 years. In that time, many advances have been made to ensure that radiation therapy is safe and effective. With each advance, new quality checks have been developed to ensure safe treatment.

Before you begin receiving radiation therapy, your radiation oncology team will carefully design your plan to make sure that you receive safe and accurate treatment. Treatment will be carefully planned to focus on the cancer while avoiding healthy organs in the area. Throughout your treatment, members of your team check and recheck your plan through repeat imaging and radiation patient chart review. The team will meet with you at least weekly to assess your progress and monitor any unexpected side effects that are occurring.