What is radiation therapy useful for?

Many things: Radiation therapy is used to decrease the risk of recurrence in breast cancer; it has treatment value in many other cancers including rectal, prostate, head and neck, lung and pancreatic cancers. In addition, it is useful for decreasing pain in cancer which has spread to bone. Lastly, it helps in disease which has traveled to the brain or skin. More uses available but space limited!

To cure some: Cancers (vocal cord, cervix, prostate etc), preserve organs and their functions (sarcoma, h&n, breast, rectums), partner with other treatments to improve risk or prevent recurrence (lymphoma, lung cancer, prophylactic cranial irradiation in small cell). And relieve symptoms to palliate metastasis.