Systemic therapy uses pills, injections or IV (into the vein) techniques to deliver radioactive substances. This approach lets the radiation target cancer cells wherever they are. This therapy is often used when cancer has spread (metastasized) beyond where it developed.

Cancers commonly treated with systemic radiation therapy:

• Thyroid cancer
• Neuroendocrine tumors
• Prostate cancer

Radioactive substances include:

• Radiolabeled antibodies for solid tumors
• Radium-223 for metastatic bone tumors

To learn more, visit radiation oncology.