Hitting Moving Targets in Cancer Treatment

Abstract

In this article, we will explore the way radiation can be used to treat cancer. Radiation for cancer therapy consists of high-energy particles or light that can damage living cells, including cancer cells. Radiation beams can be generated using a special machine, called a linear accelerator, and they are precisely aimed at a patient’s cancer. When cancer is located near the patient’s lungs, the cancer moves around as the patient breathes in and out. Hitting the cancer with the radiation beam can be hard when the cancer does not stay still. It is a little like trying to hit a moving target in a video game. In that case, there are some tricks that patients and radiation therapy workers can use to make sure that the radiation beam hits the cancer and misses healthy organs.