If radiation causes cancer, why is it used to cure cancer?

Radiation can have two main effects on cells – stopping them multiplying, or causing them to multiply out of control. THe second is cancer the first is used to stop cancer.

Radiation damages cells.
Depending on the dose, the cells
get more and more damage until
they die. A less thanlethal dose
of radiation leaves the cells
damaged.Damaged cells may
turn into cancer cells.
Cancer is generally treated in 2
ways:
Surgery: Remove the cancer cells
(If surgeon misses one, the
cancer comes back. Plus, in the
process of doing the surgery, the
cancer cells may be released to
spread.
Kill the cancer cells in the body:
Chemotherapy: Givethe patient
very toxic chemicals (poisons) in
the hope all the cancer cells are
killed before the patient dies.
This is why chemo patients get
very sick and lose their hair. Miss
killing onecancer cell, and it
comes back stronger.
Radiation (Your question): Hit the
cancer with enough radiation to
kill it in the hope that you do not
also kill or damage the patient.

The radiation used to treat cancer does not cause cancer…

I should add: there is potential risk for cancer from radiation treatment, years down the road. If you didn’t have the radiation, you may not have had those years.