The article "Cancer and Radiation Therapy: Current Advances and Future Directions" by Rajamanickam Baskar, Kuo Ann Lee, Richard Yeo, and Kheng-Wei Yeoh provides an overview of the current state and future prospects of radiation therapy in cancer treatment. The authors highlight the significant progress made over the past century, particularly since Marie Curie's Nobel Prize-winning research on radium. Radiation therapy remains a crucial component of cancer treatment, with approximately 50% of cancer patients receiving it during their illness, contributing to 40% of curative treatments. The article discusses the principles, techniques, and biological aspects of radiation therapy. It explains how radiation damages DNA in cancer cells, leading to cell death, and how it differentiates between cancer and normal cells to minimize harm to the latter. Technological advancements, such as 3D conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), have improved the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation therapy. The biological mechanisms of cell death induced by radiation, including apoptosis, mitotic catastrophe, necrosis, senescence, and autophagy, are also explored. The authors emphasize the importance of understanding these mechanisms to optimize treatment strategies and reduce side effects. They conclude by highlighting ongoing research efforts to improve radiation therapy, including the integration of molecular targeted therapies and the development of new treatment modalities to enhance patient outcomes.The article "Cancer and Radiation Therapy: Current Advances and Future Directions" by Rajamanickam Baskar, Kuo Ann Lee, Richard Yeo, and Kheng-Wei Yeoh provides an overview of the current state and future prospects of radiation therapy in cancer treatment. The authors highlight the significant progress made over the past century, particularly since Marie Curie's Nobel Prize-winning research on radium. Radiation therapy remains a crucial component of cancer treatment, with approximately 50% of cancer patients receiving it during their illness, contributing to 40% of curative treatments. The article discusses the principles, techniques, and biological aspects of radiation therapy. It explains how radiation damages DNA in cancer cells, leading to cell death, and how it differentiates between cancer and normal cells to minimize harm to the latter. Technological advancements, such as 3D conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), have improved the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation therapy. The biological mechanisms of cell death induced by radiation, including apoptosis, mitotic catastrophe, necrosis, senescence, and autophagy, are also explored. The authors emphasize the importance of understanding these mechanisms to optimize treatment strategies and reduce side effects. They conclude by highlighting ongoing research efforts to improve radiation therapy, including the integration of molecular targeted therapies and the development of new treatment modalities to enhance patient outcomes.