Following the introduction of monoclonal antibodies, signal
transduction inhibitors, and other targeted agents beginning in
the late 1990s, there is a common misconception that the use of
older cancer therapies, such as radiation, is on the decline. On
the contrary, an estimated 1.1 million patients were treated
with radiation in 2009, representing an increase of 15% from
2007 according to a market research study published by IMV
Medical Information Division. The clinical application of
radiation therapy in oncology, which uses high-energy radiation
to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells, dates back to the early
1900s when radium was used to successfully treat a pharyngeal
carcinoma in Vienna. By the 1930s, fractionated X-rays were used
to cure a group of patients with inoperable cancer of the
larynx. Today, radiation therapy remains a cornerstone of cancer
treatment and is often used in combination with surgery and
chemotherapy. Consisting of X-rays, gamma rays, and charged
particles, radiation can be delive