Can lead to radiation sickness with symptoms like vomiting, tiredness and hair loss
Radiotherapy
Uses radiation to destroy cancer cells
External radiotherapy
1. Emits gamma rays targeted at the cancer site from lots of different angles
2. Only the cancer site gets the highest dose
Internal radiotherapy
1. Places the radioactive source inside the body, either inside the cancer itself or next to it
2. Usually uses beta radiation which is more damaging than gamma rays but can't pass as far through the body
Radiotherapy and internal radiation methods have side effects as healthy cells also get damaged or killed
Medical tracers
Radioactive isotopes placed in the body that can be tracked to check organ function
Gamma rays are used for medical tracers as they are less harmful than alpha or beta radiation
Isotopes with shorter half-lives are used for medical tracers so they only emit radiation for a short period
Radiation use must balance risks against benefits, e.g. medical tracers can help diagnose diseases but with minimal dose, while radiotherapy can save lives despite side effects
