Adrenal Cancer Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation can be used before surgery to shrink the size of a tumor, making surgery easier and more effective. Radiation therapy can also be used to treat body parts that the tumor has spread to (metastasis).

When the radiation comes from a machine outside the body, it is called external beam radiation and the radiation is focused on the cancer from outside the body. This kills the cancer cells that are present, or the ones that are missed during surgery. In adrenal cancer, radiation is mostly used for palliation, which is for control of symptoms, such as bone pain.