radiotherapy

A cancer treatment method using radiation to destroy the malignant cells and block their ability to reproduce. The specificity of this method is that it allows the cancer cells to be irradiated whilst sparing the peripheral healthy cells. Radiotherapy is used in half of the patients suffering from a cancer and can by itself lead to a patient being cured. It is sometimes used together with chemotherapy. Its indications are linked to the type of tumour, where it is situated and the patient’s general condition. It can be carried out in ambulatory fashion, in other words without the need for hospitalisation, as the sessions are of short duration and the side effects are lesser than those concerning chemotherapy.