The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) Department of Radiation Oncology is recognized as one of the most advanced and highly respected outpatient radiation oncology centers in the United States. Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells.

There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

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