Radiotherapy is a type of cancer therapy which uses intense beams of light to kill cancerous cells in the body

No, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are different from one another. For instance, radiotherapy requires the use of intense radiation and is targeted only at the specific area where the cancer is present. On the other hand, chemotherapy is a type of treatment which uses specialised drugs to kill cancer cells.

No, you will be given an anaesthetic before you undergo radiation therapy, so a little pain is involved. However, you might feel nauseated or weakness after the therapy because of the anaesthesia.

There are plenty of side effects of radiotherapy and the exact effect depends on the type of cancer a person has. Some of the general side effects of radiation therapy include: skin problems; fatigue; loss of appetite; hair loss; vomiting and nausea; and low blood cell counts.

Radiotherapy is usually done Monday to Friday and each session takes around 10 minutes. The weekends are left for the healthy cells to recuperate and the overall schedule for radiotherapy might take 5 to 8 weeks.