If radiation kills…why is it used to fight cancer?
Yes, it fights cancer *because* it kills. Cancer essentially consists of a “renegade” group of cells whose controlling DNA quits working as it should, so they start multiplying uncontrollably to form a growing mass of cells that sap energy and interfere with the functioning of the rest of the body. The only way to get rid of cancer is to make the cancer cells die, which unfortunately is usually difficult to do without some “collateral damage” to healthy cells in the process. This is also the principle behind chemotherapy… the idea is basically to develop poisonous chemicals that are *more* poisonous to cancer cells than to healthy ones, because of the unique way that cancer cells’ metabolism works. But, as anyone who’s had chemotherapy could tell you, those drugs are poisonous to your healthy cells too, sometimes only to a slightly lesser degree. Even surgery is only effective because it also removes some healthy tissues surrounding the tumor, just to create a “buffer zone” to keep t